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luckymeryl · 4 years

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Outlaw Insider Chapter 6

At long last, I have a new chapter. So sorry it took so long. For the rest of the story please check AO3 or the blog. So picking up where we left off. The girls and Vash are in town, and a fire breaks out. Tadah

Outlaw Insider synopsis: After a successful interview of Vash the Stampede, Meryl and Milly are now journalists who interview No-Man’s Land’s most terrible bounties. Vash decides to keep an eye on them only to find out just how capable the girls are.

Even with the help of her megaphone, speaking over the crowd seemed to be more trouble that Meryl had anticipated. Milly was lost in the mass of people enjoying the festivities, trying to encourage them to evacuate as the smoke came near. Few paid the girl any mind, assuming she was drunk, or perhaps they were too drunk themselves to listen. Meryl yelled through the speaker, pointing at the smoke while standing on a table, some laughing at the woman as if she were part of a one-woman show.

With a growl, she stepped down. "How do none of them see it?" She huffed, holding onto Milly for support on the last step to the ground. "We have to get them out of here before it's too late."

"Senpai, do you think we could use that?" She pointed up to the speakers at the church, probably meant for town announcements but currently playing festival music.

Meryl glanced up where her partner pointed. "Yes… yes Milly that's genius. Come on, we have to find the festival headquarters." She grabbed the other girl's hand, dodging through the crowd of people, towards a booth covered in flags marked "INFO" on all corners.

A teen boy sat behind the counter, eating foods from a nearby booth. "Yes?" He looked almost confused as to why anyone actually needed any help.

"There's a fire." Meryl was out of breath, she leaned on the counter with one hand, pointing toward the smoke with the other. "You have to use the intercom and evacuate the city. Everyone needs to get to safety. Now."

"Fire? Whe-" The teen stood, looking to where she pointed. The black smog had only grown thicker in the distance. Now the smell of burning wood and plaster was wafting through the air. "Fire!" He picked up a radio, calling over it to others. "Boss there's a fire in town! Evacuate the city! It's coming from the west end!"

The crowd was in chaos, pushing and shoving one another to get as far away from the smoke as they could. Meryl glanced from the rising glow and back to Vash. "We—"

"Get out of here." His voice was stern, his order strict. "I need you out of the way." He climbed on the table, looking out across the mass of people, inspecting for some kind of opening to make it around them and towards the disaster.

"Vash wait—"

"I mean it, Meryl!" He turned his head toward her then. "Get out of here!" With that he was off, jumping from table to table to avoid the stampede before disappearing past the festival area.

Meryl stood there for a long moment, watching after him before looking back towards the edge of town, considering his advice and whether to merge into the crowd. "Meryl?" The dark-haired woman turned her head to her partner. "Do you think he can still take that kind of damage? Without his power… he can't really heal up like he used to, can he?"

Meryl's eyes widened. Milly was right. His power was gone. He was…practically human. "We have to go. We have to help him."

"Meryl?"

"Let's go Milly." She was off, fighting her way through everyone running against her. She wasn't even sure if her friend was following, all she knew was who she was heading for. She had to think. How was she even going to help him? Guns can't fight fire. She shook her head. There had to be something. She just had to get there. She had to see the surroundings…

"Vash?" The smoke was almost overwhelming. Meryl covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, trying to ignore the stinging in her eyes as she searched for the mess of black hair among the flames.

"Senpai I don't think it's safe for us to be here."

"It's not safe for him." Her voice was firm. She wasn't leaving until she found him. "Milly, you should get out of here. I'll find him and I'll bring him back. I promise." She didn't wait for a response. With that said, she was off into the flames, calling out once more.

Turning down an alley, she kneeled below the smoke best she could. Smoke rises, she remembered. To catch somewhat of a clean breath, she kneeled low, pulling her collar up over her face before standing once more. A few more yarz in, she heard it, a sign of life in the flames.

The heat was suffocating in itself. Meryl couldn't fathom how much worse this could have felt under sunlight. Under the crackling and roar of the fire, a cry rang through the air. A child, crouched down outside the burning building, covered his eyes from the smoke. Meryl kneeled beside him. "Are you okay? You need to get out of here. That way back through town. Keep going straight." She pointed, even turning the boy around towards the street in case he couldn't see.

"But that man!" He cried, sniffling. "He went back in. He went to find my cat. My cat ran off already but that man hasn't come back." Meryl looked around them, half a dozen unconscious men and women lying out of the way of falling debris. "He got us all out and went back for my cat. I'm so stupid for mentioning it."

Her eyes narrowed. Of course he went back in. He'd save anything with a heartbeat. Anything that ever had a heartbeat. "Get out of here. I'll take care of him. Okay?" Her voice was calm, but stern. She put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Go straight. Don't stop until you reach the others. Milly, will you—"

"I'll help carry his family." She nodded, giving her partner a thumbs up before lifting one body over each shoulder. She turned to the child, smiling brightly through the smoke. "I'll make a few trips but we'll be okay. Let's hurry now, okay?" The boy nodded, wiping his nose before standing to his feet, running back towards town.

Meryl watched them leave as a battle plan ran through her mind. The cloak would be too heavy, too easily caught on too many things, and too much gunpowder in all of those derringers to be safe to carry inside. Her fingers pulled at the strings on her neck, and it fell behind her as her feet began to move. She was running on pure adrenaline as she navigated the lower level. "Vash! Where are you?" She called out, making her way through the rubble, making mental note of the beams and walls that looked weakest, where the windows were.

He was lightheaded. Smoke burned his longs as hot as the fire that surrounded him. He almost thought he heard his name, but no. She was smarter than that…wasn't she? Perhaps he'd found the last person left in the building after all. He was certain that he'd circled back to that spot before. It was time to leave. He had to get the survivors as far from the smoke as possible and into the fresh air.

Vash stumbled toward the exit, not even a wall to lean on as he made his way out. He could still hear a voice calling out to him. At first he wondered if it was the smoke getting to him, causing the lightheadedness to finally take a toll on his awareness. Then he felt an arm around his waist, and another pulling his over a set of shoulder, much lower to the ground than his own. His eyes widened as he looked down. "Meryl?"

"We have to get out. This place is going to collapse." Her voice was hoarse and she was still covering her mouth, now with the collar of her dress as she pulled Vash through the rubble.

"Are you an idiot?" Those words, for once, fell from Vash's lips, followed by a fit of coughs as his body fell more heavily against her shoulders.

"Just shut up and help me get you out of here!" There was black on her sleeve, soot on her face, and ash in her hair. Never in all the years he'd known her, however, had she looked so determined. "We don't have time for you to insult me."

"The others…The survivors. Go help them."

"We will together. Don't fight me, Vash. Please." She was already walking, dragging him along beside her with a wince. "Cover your mouth. We're almost out."

He'd never been so happy to see darkness than when he was out of those flames. The fire had stopped at the sandstone buildings next door. He was in no shape to search for the culprit, and besides, he had other priorities.

He glanced over towards the area he'd left the people he'd pulled from the building. There were six he'd found, but only three remained. Was it possible they were able to wake up and get away?

"Senpai?"

Vash turned his head sharply to the larger woman. They had both followed him? Did they have no sense of self-preservation at all? He blinked slowly as he took in what he was seeing. Milly held an unconscious man draped across her back. "Milly… where are they? The other survivors?"

"I carried them out of the smoke. It was all I could do to help…" It was more help than she could possibly know. He didn't even know where he would find the strength to carry them all. As much as he hated the girls bringing themselves into danger, he had to admit, he was grateful for their help. They'd not only saved his life, but others as well.

"Thank you." His voice was tired. "Lets get them out of here. This place isn't safe." With a strength he wasn't even sure he had left, he lifted another body from the ground as Milly lifted a second to her other shoulder. The last three, as Meryl grabbed her cloak from the ground, following behind them as she tied her cape around her.

The walk back through town was slow and long. Clean air seemed iles away from them and each step seemed to take them nowhere near closer to it. At long last they saw the crowd of people at the city's edge, the smog cleared, and they were able to take a breath. The taller two gently laid their wards on the ground, town doctors coming to their aid, the young boy smiling through his tears and waving from his family's side. It seemed while retrieving Vash and the other survivors, a woman had woken up and was now holding the boy close.

Meryl sighed, relaxing into the safety of clear sky and fresh air. "I wonder how long until the cavalry arrives." She said, leaning gently on a bus, happy for anything that could help hold her up.

"The sooner the better. They need to start building the sand barriers to prevent it from spreading." Vash sat on the ground. His voice still sounded scratchy. With any more energy, Meryl might see him trying to build the barriers himself, but he was in the business of saving people, not buildings. She knew that from experience.

"That probably means you need to leave, though, too. Doesn't it, Mr. Vash?" Milly asked. For once, her voice was quiet as she said his name.

He nodded. "It does." He stretched. "That's the joys of being the most wanted man." He smiled, winking at the two of them as he stood back up. "It's a good thing you girls aren't in insurance anymore. I bet that'd be a ton of paperwork."

Meryl couldn't help but laugh. "I don't even want to think about it." Pushing herself off the bus gently she commented. "But we can't leave yet. That's just proof that our work isn't done here. In fact, our work has just begun. As far as I'm concerned, our target is out here in this crowd somewhere."

A frown crossed the gunman's face. "You can't possibly be saying you're still going to hunt this guy down. You could have died in there."

"I just want to ask him why. That's the only question. It's all I need." Meryl wasn't looking at him, her arms were crossed, her eyes closed, focused on her thoughts. "I feel like any answer he gave would be enough for our listeners. No one knows anything about him after all and people are interested—"

"Screw their dark interest in these murderers and sadists." His voice broke. Whether it be from anger or the smoke damage, neither he or Meryl was sure. "Screw the popularity of criminals. Stop taking on these jobs that could kill you. One day one of them will. You do realize that don't you? Nothing good can come from putting your life on the line for money."

"You did."

Blue-green eyes widened. "What?"

"You came from putting my life on the line for money. I met you. And Wolfwood. I got closer to Milly. I saw the world and just how terrible and beautiful it can be." She thought back on all the places she'd seen on those adventures. From the dirty saloons, to the geoplant of flowers she'd never seen before. She wouldn't trade those memories for anything. "I don't want to live life behind a desk. I don't want to settle down as a home maker. I don't want a normal job. I want to see the world again. I want to run. I want to live. I don't want to have regrets. Is that too much to ask?"

He shook his head gently. It wasn't. She'd made her choice and with good reason, and he couldn't fault her for that. It was the opposite actually. It was everything he loved about humanity in what she'd said. The way she found beauty and terror in the same world. The way she found excitement in life. The fight in her. It was everything he loved about her. "No it's not." He said gently. "It's just… worrying. You always have me running. I've always fought for someone else's life. I want to fight for yours too."

"You don't have to." She smiled, brightly through the soot. "Fight for your own happiness. The war is finally over. It's time you live for yourself now. So what do you want to do?"

He laughed gently. It was a simple question that he couldn't even begin to answer. The first thing on his mind however, "I want to stay with you two for a while," surprised him, as it slipped past his lips. "Is that okay?"

Meryl seemed to think it over for a moment. "Well…I don't think we can stop you. You are pretty good at chasing us down." With a glance to her friend, who stared teary eyed between the two she added, "Besides, I think Milly might never forgive me if I say no." She held a hand out to the man. "Welcome to the team, Vash."

#trigun #trigun maximum #trigun fanfiction #trigun fanfic #fanfiction #meryl stryfe #milly thompson #vash the stampede

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hazbincalifornia · 3 years

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Stella has tangled with Alastor’s tentacles before, when Charlie had... concerns about her lack of care about privacy. (Yes, this is entirely SFW.) Stella is my Stolitz fankid who basically just visits the Hotel for fun.

Wordcount: 965

Warnings: None

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Static crackled through the walls as something rapped firmly against one of them. Judging by the annoyed ‘hey!’, it was probably Alastor’s microphone stand.

Stella kept her beak snapped firmly shut inside of the wardrobe she was hiding in, regulating her breathing the way Millie had always taught her. Alastor was... pretty omnipotent at points, sure, but she didn’t think he could sense everything within the Hotel. She’d made little bets with him before, but he didn’t own even a scrap of her soul, so it was just a matter of not giving away her position.

Niffty crawled through the vents all the time, why was it so big of a deal when she did? Okay, so she’d dropped in on Angel a few times, but he’d only been naked once and he’d grabbed a pillow quickly enough that she hadn’t seen anything! Vents that were big enough to support a fourteen-year-old deserved to be crawled through, and you learned so much more when people didn’t think they had anything to hide and let their guards down.

“I know you’re there.” His voice crackled, a little closer this time and decidedly not just through a radio in the room, and her heart jumped without her willing it.

About 20 minutes ago, Niffty had nearly gouged her eye out when they ran into each other in the vent above the kitchen when Stella had been curious what the smell cooking up had been. Wasn’t that punishment enough? No, they had to send the Radio Demon to chase her back down. He deserved the title right now. Alastor could be surprisingly pleasant when he had no beef, but the dark magic aura crackling in the air around her made her shrink down, tail curling nervously around her middle as she fussed with the feathers at the end. They were dusty from the vents and she only barely stopped herself from sneezing.

“Don’t terrify her, Al,” Charlie called from the lobby, and Stella thanked Satan that-

“You were the one to suggest I find her, I’ll do it any way I please! I’ll leave her in one piece, don’t you worry, I don’t like dismembering children unless they deserve it!”

-That her luck was just exceptionally shitty today. She was careful not to move too much, but shadows and a red glow bled through the cracks in the closet door.

“Just be careful!” Charlie added.

“When am I not?”

The wardrobe began to shake, something deep, deep black prying between the doors before forcing them open and wrapping around her waist and yanking her out into the room.

“Eep!” She was flipped upside down and brought face-to-face with Alastor. His grin seemed a little wider than usual, pupils replaced with fuzzing bright red static with maroon scleras.

“And here I thought you might provide a challenge. We’ll have to try this again some other day when you’re on your a-game!” He tilted his head, blinking to bring his eyes back to normal as Stella gave a nervous laugh. Some of the terrifying aura around him was dissipating.

“I didn’t realize I’d be doing this today. What did Charlie want you to find me for?”

“Oh, that. This!” He held out a collar with a golden bell like you’d see on a cat, and Stella squirmed.

“Seriously? I’m not an animal!”

“Hmm... well, I see that you’re an imp and some form of bird, so I’d say you’re at least half of one. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, you choose.”

“Come on, please?”

“I appreciate the manners, but they won’t sway me at the moment!” The tentacles encircling her heated up a bit.

“Fine, fine.” The blood was starting to rush to her head.

“Good girl.” She was flipped rightside up and dropped in front of him, and she only got about four steps in her ‘bolt in the opposite direction’ plan before another tentacle wrapped around her ankle and tripped her.

“Oof!”

“Tsk, tsk. Forget my comment about your manners.” She was dragged back across the room, this time forced to stare up at him. Alastor was freakishly tall from this vantage point, all twisted angles. She watched as he smoothly slid the collar from his index finger down to the tip of one of the tentacles, and it sank into the ground, clicking the leather into place around her neck before disappearing entirely. The others vanished with it, and she pushed herself up from the floor.

Stella took a breath before flicking at the bell. It gave a little musical tinkle. “How long do I even have to wear this?”

“As long as Charlie thinks you’re going to be ‘a possible threat to the comfort of her guests and employees, since they’re all under her care and protection.’ ” His voice shifted while quoting her, the static heavier as his tone pitched up in imitation. He patted Stella’s head between her horns. “Relax, at least she didn’t ban you from the premises entirely!” He leaned forward. “Besides, once you learn to work around it...”

“-I’ll be twice as stealthy.” She finished the sentence and flicked the bell again. “I guess I can get used to it for a little while.”

“That’s the spirit!” His spindly fingers curled into the back of Stella’s shirt and he lifted her up. “Now, act annoyed, I’d hate to spoil the surprise that they’re only going to improve your sleuthing skills with her little punishment.”

Stella crossed her arms and pouted. It wasn’t hard to channel irritation that they’d even thought to just tag her like an animal. It got a laugh out of Alastor, though, and he dragged her out of the room, legs dangling in mid-air.

“Perfect!”

#hotel stella #daddy blitzo #hb #shadow writes stuff #hazbin hotel #eh not gonna tag hb bc it's just my oc from that #stella #hh

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papermoonloveslucy · 3 years

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LIZ SELLS DRESSES (1950)

May 28, 1950

“Liz Sells Dresses” (aka “Selling Dresses”) is episode #90 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on May 28, 1950.

Synopsis ~ Liz accidentally returns a dress to a more expensive store than where she bought it, and makes money on the deal. She then decides to go into business buying dresses at one store and returning them at another.

Note: This was a re-write of episode #14 aired on October 16, 1948. At the time, the characters were known as Liz and George Cugat. Jell-O had not yet come aboard as a sponsor.

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benadaret was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

MAIN CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cooper) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cooper) was born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father’s garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.” From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury) is not heard in this episode.

Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury / Little Old Lady Shopper) was considered the front-runner to be cast as Ethel Mertz but when “I Love Lucy” was ready to start production she was already playing a similar role on TV’s “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so Vivian Vance was cast instead. On “I Love Lucy” she was cast as Lucy Ricardo’s spinster neighbor, Miss Lewis, in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15) in early 1952. Later, she was a success in her own show, “Petticoat Junction” as Shady Rest Hotel proprietress Kate Bradley. She starred in the series until her death in 1968.

In the 1948 version of the script, Benadaret played a Dress Store Clerk. The character of Iris Atterbury had not yet been introduced. She does, however, once again play the role of the old lady shopper. Virtually all little old ladies on the series were voiced by Benadaret.

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) is not heard in this episode

Bob LeMond (Announcer) also served as the announcer for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”. When the long-lost pilot was finally discovered in 1990, a few moments of the opening narration were damaged and lost, so LeMond – fifty years later – recreated the narration for the CBS special and subsequent DVD release.

GUEST CAST

Hans Conried (Mr. Quigley, Returns Clerk at Gordons) first co-starred with Lucille Ball in The Big Street (1942). He then appeared on “I Love Lucy” as used furniture man Dan Jenkins in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and later that same season as Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13) – both in 1952. The following year he began an association with Disney by voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan. On “The Lucy Show” he played Professor Gitterman in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (TLS S1;E19) and in “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (TLS S2;E1). He was probably best known as Uncle Tonoose on “Make Room for Daddy” starring Danny Thomas, which was filmed on the Desilu lot. He joined Thomas on a season 6 episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1973. He died in 1982 at age 64.

Conried played the same role in the 1948 version of “Liz Sells Dresses”.

Florence Halop (Kramer’s Sales Clerk) was cast to replace Bea Benadaret in a radio show moving to CBS TV called “Meet Millie” when she was hired to play on of the two women on Lucy Ricardo’s party line in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) also featuring Hans Conried. She wouldn’t work for Lucy again until 1974, when she played a Little Old Lady on a Western-themed episode of “Here’s Lucy.” In 1985, she replaced Selma Diamond (who had died of lung cancer) as the bailiff on “Night Court.” Coincidentally, Halop, also a heavy smoker, died less than a year later of the same disease.

In the 1948 version of the script, the role was played by Sandra Gould.

THE EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “And now lets look in on the Coopers. It’s evening and George is reading the newspaper and Liz has just sat down on the arm of his chair with something obviously on her mind.”

Liz adopts a kittenish mood, kissing and cooing at George. Liz says she was a Kramer’s Department Store and saw the perfect spring dress to add to her wardrobe. Liz says it was only $39.50. George is aghast at the price. Liz explains that she actually made $20 on the dress by buying it at Kramer’s because the same dress was selling at Gordon’s for $59.50.

GEORGE: “Yes, but you don’t actually have the twenty dollars.” LIZ: “I know I don’t. I spent it on a hat to go with the dress!”

On “I Love Lucy” Kramer’s was the name of the Candy Kitchen where Lucy and Ethel cause havoc in “Job Switching” (ILL S2;E1). Gordon’s may be a nod to Gale Gordon, who plays Mr. Atterbury on “My Favorite Husband.” Previously, the Sheridan Falls Department Store most often mentioned was Miller’s, but Kramer’s and Gordon’s were the names used in the 1948 version of the script, so they are used again here.

George insists Liz take the dress back and get a refund! Liz protests - she adores the dress. She describes it as “navy blue with white polka dots, and a little white collar with a sash in the back.”

Eerily, Liz is pretty accurately describing the look that would be most associated with Lucy Ricardo on “I Love Lucy”! It was designed by Elois Jenssen in 1953 and was worn in more than 25 episodes.

After pleading and crying, Liz gives in and agrees to take back the dress.

Next day at the store, Liz reports to the refund department. The weepy clerk (Hans Conried) says that money is cheerfully refunded if unsatisfied. He asks Liz why she is returning it. She is perfectly happy with it. He finally says he can’t refund her money because she IS satisfied. The fact that her husband won’t let her keep it is not good enough.

REFUND CLERK: “This fourteen story mass of steel and concrete was built on money that husbands can’t afford to spend!”

Liz insists and he finally gives in giving her her money back - with a laugh and a whimper. Before she leaves the store, she runs into Iris. Liz explains that she had to take her dress back. Liz counts out the money she got back and finds it is $59.50, not $39.50. Liz realizes that she is in Gordon’s, not Kramer’s where she originally bought the dress! Iris says she should spend it quick. Liz realizes that if she could make twenty dollars on one dress - she could do it with more than one! She heads off to Kramer’s!

This is similar to the plot of “The Business Manager” (ILLS4;E1), in which Lucy Ricardo realizes that she can balance her books by buying and selling groceries on credit for the entire building.

End of Part One

Bob LeMond does a commercial for Jell-O puddings.

ANNOUNCER: “As we return to the Coopers, we find Liz at a little gold mine called Kramer’s Department Store, in the hope that she can dig up a few more polka-dot dresses for $39.50 and return them to Gordon’s for $59.50.”

Liz approaches the salesgirl (Florence Halop), who is confused when Liz isn’t particular about the size. She recognizes Liz from yesterday and wants to know why she wants two more dresses in the same style. Liz facetiously says she’s one of the Andrews Sisters.

CLERK: “Which one are you? Patty, Maxine, or LaVerne?” LIZ: “Neither. I’m their brother Dana.”

The Andrews Sisters were a very successful trio of singing sisters during World War II with 19 gold records and sales of nearly 100 million copies. The sisters began performing in the early 1930s when the Depression wiped out their father’s business. In 1937, the sisters scored their first big hit with “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen.” In addition to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” their best-known songs included “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” and “Rum and Coca Cola.” The trio officially broke up after the death of LaVerne in 1967, when a suitable replacement could not be found. Patty Andrews guest starred on “Here’s Lucy” as herself in 1969. The plot had Lucy Carter and her daughter Kim (Lucie Arnaz) stepping in for the other two singers for a charity show. During a poker game in “Be a Pal” (ILL S1;E2), Lucy calls her two queens ‘sisters.’ When Fred looks at his newly-dealt hand he quips “You can tell your two Andrews Sisters not to wait up for LaVerne.”

Dana Andrews (1909-92) was not related to the Andrews Sisters, but was a successful actor. He had been in the Oscar-winning film The Best Years of Our Lives in 1946, and had three films released in 1948 alone. In 1961, Dana Andrews and Lucille Ball both presented awards on the “Bob Hope Sports Show.”

At Gordon’s, Iris sees George, who is there to buy Liz a surprise gift: the dress he made her return.

Meanwhile, at Kramer’s, Liz has brought her newly-purchased dresses to get her refund. Mr. Quigley shrieks at Liz’s request - two more identical dresses. He has a breakdown.

MR. QUIGLEY: “I should have never taken this job. I was so happy in ladies lingerie.”

He notices that they ordered 35 of the blue polka dot dresses and now they have 36. The jig is up! Mr. Quigley demands that Liz give him the money he refunded her earlier! He even gives her back the dress she returned earlier and sends her away.

On her way out of the store with her three blue polka-dot dresses, Liz is approached by a Little Old Lady Shopper (Bea Benadaret) who wants to know where she can get one like it. She needs it to wear to a dance.

OLD LADY: “We all went to Arthur Murray’s and learned the Lindy Crawl.” LIZ: “You mean the Lindy Hop.” OLD LADY: “Not the way we do it!”

Arthur Murray (1895-1991) was a ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the chain of dance studios that bear his name. He was mentioned in Desi Arnaz’s song “Cuban Pete” and in “The Young Fans” (ILL S1;E20). One of the dances taught there was The Lindy Hop, a very popular during the swing era of the 1930s and ‘40s. Lindy was described as a jazz dance and is a member of the swing dance family.

Liz sells the dress to the little old lady for $59.50, making a profit of $20! She decides if she sold one, she can sell another, and develops a slick line of sales talk in order to sell the other dresses to customers in the store already!

LIZ: (to Customer) “Hey lady, step in a little closer. You’re blocking traffic.” SALES CLERK: “Hey! This is my customer.” LIZ (fast talking): “Get away kid, ya bother me. (To Customer) Honest Liz Cooper, the biggest used dress dealer in town. Gimme $39.50 and I’m losing money on the deal. Come back tomorrow and I’ll give myself a hot foot and have a fire sale!”

Liz is approached by the indignant Floor Walker who believes her to be a sales girl poaching customers from her co-workers. He directs her to go sell something to a gentlemen who just happens to be her husband George. So she won’t be recognized, Liz grabs a black hat with a veil. She adopts a Brooklyn accent that matches the salesgirl’s.

George pretends not to recognize Liz and tells her his wife is dumpy - nothing like her figure, but he’ll buy the dress anyway. George flirts with Liz! Insulted, Liz slaps him across the face!

Ricky Ricardo did the same thing when Lucy went ‘undercover’ wearing “The Black Wig” (ILL S3;E26).

Later, at home, George presents Liz with the dress, continuing his charade.

GEORGE: “You should have seen the sales girl who waited on me! She was a real creep! I’m glad you like the dress and I’ll tell you what else I’m going to do (Brooklyn accent) I’m gonna buy ya a hat to go with it!” LIZ (Brooklyn accent): “Well, how do you like that! He knew about it all the time!”

End of Part Two

In the live Jell-O commercial, Lucille Ball plays is a little old miner. With a deep voice (as if she has no teeth) she sings a bar or two of “My Darlin’ Clementine”. Bob LeMond plays a Census Taker.

MINER / LUCILLE: “You can’t take mine! Folks say I aint’ got no senses!”

The miner (and his faithful mule Sam) says he is a desert rat who used to live in the city. It’s just him and Sam. They mine a little and play a little canasta. He says they have a puddin’ mine.

CENUS TAKER: “What’s a pudding mine?” MINER / LUCILLE: “Do you mean to stand there with a sponsor starin’ you in the face and ask what a puddin’ mine is? Egad!”

#My Favorite Husband #Lucille Ball #Richard Denning #Hans Conried #Florence Halop #I Love Lucy #Here's Lucy #Jell-O #Bob LeMond #Bea Benadaret #Andrews Sisters #Desi Arnaz #Vivian Vance #Lucie Arnaz #Arthur Murray #Dana Andrews

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fromherlips · 5 years

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you’re gonna live forever in me

did y’all REALLY think my ass wasn’t going to do something for this? i remember thinking that 2019 was so far away when i finished ‘in your atmosphere’ and now it’s here and i’m here and we’re here and i can’t believe that time has passed like this. in full disclosure: this is completely self-indulgent. i haven’t written anything in almost a year but i couldn’t resist. so, here we are, pals. many, many years later. happy end of nyfw!

New York Fashion Week was a spectacle that Eva had dreamed about since she was a kid. Growing up, it was a week long event she strived to be a part of, someway, somehow. She wanted to live and breathe the same air as the editors and buyers, cramped in the corner in standing room only or sat in the frow, brushing shoulders with fashion’s elite. It happened twice a year and determined trends, styles, moods, personalities, and so much more.

Eva’s first fashion week was just two weeks after she moved to the city. She didn’t know a single soul, but went to shows to cover for her boss, an influencer with enough clout to land her in the front row. Eva sat rows behind, not important enough to land a coveted seat, but she was just happy to be there. Things were different now. Seats were filled by Instagram following and not status in the industry, but she was stuck in the whirlwind of Manhattan (despite subletting a closet-less room in Crown Heights). Eva was left taking notes on her phone, geared up to write a review for her boss’ blog after their next show, typing furiously on her outdated iPhone (by New York standards) in the back of a luxury Lyft while they carted off to the next show.

By the end of her first day carting around from show to show and trying to keep up with her new boss who didn’t talk very much–not even on her Instagram Stories–but seemed to know anyone and everyone at the shows and events they attended, Eva was exhausted. She collapsed onto her stiff mattress, the cheapest she could find on Wayfair without blowing through the meager savings she had from college, too tired to go to the fridge to get water and heat up the pasta she had made the night before, and too burnt out to talk to her roommates who were perched on the couch watching whatever they were binging on Netflix at the time.

With her clothes still on, Eva rested her hand on her cheek, careful not to transfer any makeup onto her comforter. She squeezed her eyes shut, the feeling she’d been trying to suppress for months creeping up. It came to her in the moments when her guard was down, when she was too tired to fight the thoughts that plagued her mind. But in her moments of weakness, her mind always traveled back to the moment in his bedroom, both crumpled on the floor, sobbing like they’d never sobbed before. Back to the green-eyed, floppy-haired boy with tattoos scattered across his skin, the same skin her fingers had skimmed over, the same skin she felt beneath her, on top of her. Back to the person she loved the most in this world, the only person she wanted to curl up next to after a long day.

Harry was everywhere. There were the obvious places. On the radio when she took cars with her boss (she couldn’t afford them on her own), playing when she browsed through stores while she tried to make friends, on posters around the city promoting their newest single, one that Eva couldn’t bear to listen to anymore. He was in the Chloe perfume she kept on her nightstand, in the threads of her Wildfox sweatpants she debated on donating before she moved, in the sketchbooks she hadn’t touched since she moved. Harry was everything and then he was nothing and Eva was the only person to blame.

She hated that word, blame. But what else was she supposed to call it? She knew it was for the best, somewhere deep down within herself, even if she couldn’t recognize it anymore. But knowing it was right didn’t make it less painful. Knowing it was right didn’t make the image of his face, puffy and red and damp with tears, disappear from her memory. It didn’t make her stop missing him. It didn’t change anything, but it kept her hopeful, even if it didn’t feel that way most of the time.

Eva felt sad and lost and lonely and like she was failing at everything she set out to accomplish. She wanted New York City more than anything she wanted in this entire life. But she knew it wouldn’t be easy. So she cried into her brand new sheets after her first day of New York Fashion Week. She cried for Harry, she cried for herself, she cried for the unknown.

That was the last time she had cried during Fashion Week. Her life in New York still brought her to tears, but she was starting to learn that it was normal in her twenties and the breakdown she had during her fifth month living in the city was a right of passage that she accomplished early on. It took her six months to feel okay with herself, but not once did she doubt the decision she had made to move. She knew the city would knock her on her ass, both figuratively and literally (tequila, stilettos, and cobblestone in Soho don’t mix), but it was worth it, wasn’t it?

By her second spring/summer fashion week the next year, Eva felt confident in herself, in her work, in who she was becoming. She sketched more, she made friends, she invested in a mattress topper to make her sleep schedule less painful. She had also started dating a model (unplanned) who lived near her office (convenient) and had blonde hair and brown eyes and not a single tattoo anywhere on his body. She thought she had loved Paul but when they broke up ten months later because of distance (the irony didn’t miss her), Eva didn’t cry, didn’t dwell, didn’t spend months wondering if it was the wrong choice. She wasn’t angry or hurt or confused, she just felt lonely again in the big city, something easily solvable by brunch, happy hour, or casual movie nights with friends.

By fashion week in 2019, Eva had been in the city for over three years and was still settling into her position at Milly. She loved working as an assistant and adored styling for the now defunct print magazine that likely still owed her some money, but being a design assistant at Milly was everything she could have asked for as a 25 (going on 26) year-old. She was still close with Jillian and her old boss, which is how she somehow managed to score an invite to a Conde Nast party on the second night of fashion week.

She had gotten a dress lent from a PR company thanks to Jill and somehow managed to figure out her hair and makeup on her own. Eva painted her lips with crimson red, a stark contrast from the cobalt blue of her dress and white frothy collar adorning her neck. She’d slicked her hair back for ease (and because it was admittedly a bit dirty), hoping it would stay in place throughout the night so she wouldn’t nervously play with it. She wasn’t sure what to expect from the party aside from free food and drinks and hopefully some entertainment.

Eva spent the first hour wandering around with a glass of champagne in her hand, making eye contact with people she vaguely knew from other events or photoshoots but didn’t speak to out of fear of conversational rejection, something she knew well from living in Los Angeles for so long. It didn’t bother her, she liked the people watching and was just happy to be there, truthfully.

A seemingly familiar face caught her eye, but she figured she was just seeing things. Forever a lightweight, she was already two glasses of champagne deep on an almost empty stomach and was seeing things. Hallucinating. It could have been anybody.

She switched to water and grabbed a few hors d'oeuvres, silently chewing in the corner of the space while she tried to sober up. This wasn’t the night for reminiscing. This was a Conde-fucking-Nast New York Fashion Week Party, for gods sake.

At least half an hour had passed and Eva had made the rounds again after meeting up with Jillian and one of her industry friends for a legitimate conversation on Fashion Week plans and not something superficial (which was gratefully appreciated after her years of fashion week attendance). She was in search of another drink now that she was sure she was done seeing things.

Unfortunately, Eva couldn’t make it to one of the waiters making the rounds before she saw the familiar face again. This time, she couldn’t blame it on the alcohol because she knew it was real. He was alone now, swirling what was left in his champagne glass. He looked the same, yet entirely different, and Eva felt transported to a different time. A time when he was hers and she was his and they were tangled underneath the sheets of her bed in that shitty Los Angeles apartment that was too small for her and her things and their makeshift life together.

She felt nauseous then sad then nauseous again. Was the room spinning? It felt like it was spinning. She wondered if this moment would ever happen, if fate would put the two of them back in the room together (even if fate went by the name of Niall, her meddling friend that wanted his power couple back together). She even thought about what she might say–what she might do–if she was put into this situation. But now she was here in a pretty dress and wanted to bolt as far away from the boy whose heart she broke so many years ago, the boy who wrote a Grammy nominated album on how she’d ripped his heart out, the boy who probably deserved better but also needed to grow up.

Despite the fear and nausea, Eva felt herself walking towards the person she’d never thought she would see again. Did he see her? She thought he looked her way, but he didn’t start sprinting so maybe he’d looked right past her. She was still the same Eva, but her hair was shorter and her cheeks more angular. But then she could see his eyes fixated on her, watching her as she maneuvered through the party guests that seemed to gather in his atmosphere.

She didn’t have a line planned. Was she just going to say “hi” or “hello” or just silently stare and hope that was a sufficient greeting? This worried her as she approached him, her feet planting straight in front of the boy she used to love.

“Eva,” he said, no greeting required. “What’re you...hi.”

She tucked a rogue curl behind her ear, sweeping it back from her chin.

“Harry,” she replied, her lips curling into a sweet smile. “Congrats on the new album coming out in a couple of months. It’s nice to see you back with the boys.”

Congrats on the new album? Is that all she could say?

“I...thank you,” he replied. “It’s nice to, erm, be back,” he told her.

“Right, I can imagine,” she said, her heart thumping harder in her chest. Was she okay? Or was seeing Harry after all these years setting her into panic mode? “You lads are close. But, I-uh...how’ve you been, Harry?”

How have you been? Are you serious, Eva? What the fuck, she thought.

“Same old,” he replied.”What about you? I didn’t, um, didn’t know you’d be here?”

She quirked her brow. “In New York or at the party?”

“The party,” he replied. “Niall...he told me you were here a while ago.”

She nodded. Niall was their unofficial liaison, it appeared.

“I saw that you moved here,” she said. “Those damn trending headlines. Niall mentioned it once or twice or a dozen times as well.”

“Just needed a change of pace,” he explained with a shrug. “I’ve always liked visiting, Figured there could be no harm in living here for a bit.

“It’s a good place to be,” she agreed.

She knew she was staring, but there was something so mesmerizing about Harry. She was no stranger to his good looks and undeniable charm. The thing about Harry was that she still saw him everywhere. She saw his many haircuts, his new tattoos, the shift in his style. She saw his attempt to grow facial hair and the 90s haircut and the mismatched rings adorned on his fingers. But she still took the time to study his face and take him in for all that he was, finally in front of her after all of those years.

It didn’t escape Eva that this was how they first met. Well, kind of. He was drunk and slurring but still trying to be as helpful as he could be. Eva was burnt out and fighting imposter syndrome, wondering what this pop star was doing talking to her in the room full of people who were infinitely more interesting than she was. But now she was drunk (or at least buzzed) standing in front of the same boy in his pastel blue pants and ruffled shirt for the first time since that night in his bedroom, the night that changed everything for them, whether she liked it or not.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been staring, but Eva snapped out of her daze when she heard Harry speak again.

“Coffee,” he said, beginning to play with the rings on his fingers.

“Coffee?” she asked.

“I mean...we should get coffee. Or smoothies. Or…” he stammered, letting his voice trail off.

“I’m pretty busy this week,” she replied.

“Fuck, right,” he swore. “Fashion week...you’re right.”

“But give me your new number and I’ll let you know when I’m free when this week from hell ends,” she added quickly, fishing her phone out of her clutch. She tapped her feet nervously while Harry typed his number in. Niall had tried giving it to her but she didn’t trust herself with it. She’d have one too many drinks and say things she didn’t mean. Or worse, she’d let it sit and rot in her contacts, too afraid of what could happen.

Eva wanted to linger in his presence, soaking up every last second of his aura. But instead, she slipped her clutch back underneath her arm, taking two steps backwards as she waved goodbye, faintly smiling at the boy in front of her.

“Good luck, Ev,” he told her as she walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

It felt like she was walking through a daydream. She could barely register anything around her. She merely grabbed another glass of champagne, pressing the glass against her lips and leaving a deep red stain in its place. She found a semi-abandoned corner of the room, sipping slowly while she tried to process the moment. It was short, no longer than five minutes, but it felt as if she had been standing in front of Harry for a lifetime.

For so long, she wondered what she would say to him, what she would do, how she would feel. But nothing could prepare her for the actual moment when their lives collided again, intersecting like they had when they were nineteen and drunk and tired and two entirely different people.

Their moment was over, but it didn’t feel as such. She felt something in the pit of her stomach, albeit faint, but it was there. It very well could have been the champagne, or hope, or a combination of both. Harry Styles had managed to orbit back into her life, or hers into his, but this time it felt different. She felt different. And that had to mean something.

#i'm a self indulgent piece of shit #i also wrote 90% of this when i was wine drunk and sad #a recipe for disaster #anyways hi guys i'm going to lay down and watch one tree hill now and outfit plan #iya

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naruwitch · 4 years

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Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chapter 21: The Depths

"Lelouch! Kallen!" Suzaku shouted as he watched in horror as they both disappeared through the wormhole's wall. Rai and Shirley followed shortly after on the other side. Before he could shout further, though, he felt something strike Yoru, and his vision turned black.

Had Suzaku been watching from outside, what had struck hs Lion was the Blue and Yellow Lions, spiraling out of control in the opposite direction of everyone else. The Paladins inside of them screaming in terror the entire time. The three Lions as one collided with the far wormhole wall and disappeared.

o~o

Up above in a crystal blue sky, the wormhole opened its vast purple chasm, and spat the three Lions out, hurtling them towards the icy planet down below.

Though Suzaku was still unconscious, Milly and Rivalz continued to scream as gravity took over, and the three Lions slammed hard into the ice-covered surface. The impact was hard enough to break the ice open, and the three Lions started to sink deep towards the bottom of the planet's sea.

The crash was also hard enough to wake Suzaku up, as the impact nearly sent him flying out of his seat. Miraculously, even without seatbelts of any kind, he remained in place.

When Suzaku's eyes finally adjusted to seeing clearly again, he yelled in shock, seeing only the dark, murky depths surrounding the trio. Warning lights were blaring in red all around him as he tugged a couple of Yoru's controls to try and rouse her.

"Okay, that's not working. Um," Suzaku took a deep breath and then called over the comms, "Rivalz, Milly, you two okay?"

"Well, besides the fact that I got sucked out of a wormhole at light speed, then crash-landed on an ice planet and ended up underwater, doing great," Milly answered back sarcastically.

"Yeah, I'm fine too," Rivalz answered. The Blue Paladin took the time to try and activate one of Polaris's systems, but a warning light was all that answered him upon doing so.

Milly was also trying to wake up Maeraka, but wasn't having any luck, "My main system is down. The crash must have screwed it up. Do either of yours work?"

"Negative," Suzaku answered.

"Yeah, I'm on reserve power. My Lion's pretty much dead in the water," Rivalz grinned, laughing at his pun.

The Purple and Yellow Paladins groaned in frustration.

"This situation's bad enough, Rivalz. Don't make it worse with puns," Milly scolded with a frown.

"I'm just shocked we hit a planet. Didn't Rai tell us that space was 90% empty?" Rivalz asked as the three Lions started sinking past large rock outcroppings.

"Apparently, we got pretty lucky," Milly agreed, "maybe the inhabitants here can help us out, though."

"We should get back in contact with the others immediately," Suzaku said, as he pressed some buttons on the commlink, "Hello, Princess? Lelouch? It's Suzaku. If you can hear me, please respond!" the only thing that came out through the radio was static. Suzaku groaned, "The signal must be out of range."

"Or it's not working at all," Milly said, anxiety in her tone, "I mean, you and Kallen fought Zarkon two-to-one, and from what we could see, it looked like a tough fight."

"Tough? More like awesome! I mean, did you see that cannon Kallen and Aka pulled out? That was cool!" Rivalz exclaimed.

"Fight?" Suzaku breathed out an exhausted laugh, "More like a beatdown. Kallen and I were hitting Zarkon with everything we had, but we barely even made a dent in him. When Kallen pulled that cannon out, I think the only thing that did was surprise him. It honestly didn't look like he had even broken a sweat."

Rivalz gulped loudly on the other end, and Milly's face paled. The two Paladins now really hoped that they wouldn't face Zarkon themselves.

The three briefly braced themselves as they felt their Lions softly land on the ocean bottom.

"Anyway, let's check for damage and get the Lions running," Suzaku ordered.

"Copy that," the other two replied.

Just as Rivalz was about to try some buttons again, to his pleasant surprise, Polaris's lights started to blink on again, the room illuminating in a soft blue glow.

"Oh, good. Polaris is coming back online now. Welcome back, beautiful," he grinned as her head lifted up, and her eyes flashed with light.

Rivalz was also the first to realize that they weren't the only ones down at the bottom, as a humanoid figure suddenly swam out of view of Polaris's lights.

The Blue Paladin blinked, "Uh... guys, did-did you just see something swim by?"

"What?" Suzaku asked, sounding confused.

"No, I didn't see anything," Milly added.

Swallowing the small knot of fear that was forming in his stomach, Rivalz turned Polaris's head to the left. He saw the same creature again but managed to get a good look at her figure, and he gasped.

"No way!" he exclaimed, "Guys, this is going to sound crazy, but I think I just saw a mermaid."

"Wait, what?" Suzaku asked, sounding shocked.

"Okay, Rivalz, how hard did you bang your head when we hit the planet?" Milly asked skeptically.

"No, I'm serious!" Rivalz shouted in frustration, only to yelp when he spotted the mermaid swim by again, Polaris's head following it. "Look! There it is again!" Rivalz was trying so desperately to keep his eye on the creature, that he was having Polaris swim around in literal circles. "Hey, come here! Where you going?" Suddenly the mermaid made an angled swim upward, causing Polaris to do a backward somersault before she finally stopped. "Hey, slow down!"

"Rivalz, careful!" Suzaku shouted, "We have to stay focused and get to the others... You're outside of your Lion," Suzaku frowned as he watched the Blue Paladin manually leave his Lion to swim closer to the mermaid.

"I know we have to find the others. I'm just saying maybe this thing can help," Rivalz told them as he looked back at them. "Also, it's a mermaid. A mermaid! Come on, let's find it."

"Hey, wait up!" Milly exclaimed as Rivalz started swimming the direction the mermaid disappeared to. She quickly exited Maeraka to catch up with Suzaku reluctantly following behind.

Once the two caught up the Blue Paladin, Suzaku activated his gauntlet, and a blue light appeared from the end. He shined it around the rock formations that surrounded them, and eventually, the glow did fall on the mermaid in the distance. She seemed to be waiting for them to follow her.

"Come on!" Rivalz exclaimed once they spotted her, his jetpack spurting him forward. Milly and Suzaku were quick to follow, Suzaku still shining the flashlight. The mermaid weaved around the rocks as if it were a jungle gym, but she never got too far away that they lost her.

"I can't believe this," Milly exclaimed, sounding excited, "we're actually chasing a mermaid! Of all things!"

The only one that didn't look like he was in fairytale land was Suzaku, who kept a skeptical frown on his face the entire time they followed the mermaid. "Either way, we still need to be careful. She could be dangerous."

"How can a mermaid be dangerous?" Rivalz asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Harry Potter. Spiderwick Chronicles. Pirates of the Carribean." Suzaku listed off, matter-of-factly, "The mermaids in all of those series are dangerous!"

Before any more debate could sprout from their conversation, the mermaid suddenly turned sharply to the left and disappeared.

"Hey, wait, wait, wait! We're friendly!" Rivalz called out after her, Suzaku's light still shining in her direction.

Milly then gasped as she looked in front of them. The boys followed her gaze and gasped as well.

"Whoa! And here I thought Atlantis was a fairytale!" Rivalz exclaimed. Down below, they saw what looked like an underwater village with a large, bushy garden in the center, and a building they could only assume was a palace directly behind it.

"Hello," a friendly voice greeted them from behind. The Paladins leaped back and were surprised to see the mermaid that they had been tracking directly behind them. Her hands were folded in front of her. "Welcome to my village. Here, all are safe and warm."

Now that they had a proper look at the mermaid, the trio could say that she didn't look like any mermaid they'd ever seen. She had pale pink skin, a powerful orange fishtail, raggedy pink finlets situated on her hips, and pink stripes on her tail and crotch area. Her eyes were entirely blue and reflective, with pink discoloration on her eyelids and two spots in the semblance of eyebrows. She has long pink hair with prominent side-bangs and a white patch running down the middle, with flimsy pink antennae located on her forehead. She was also wearing a yellow, short-sleeved crop top exposing her torso. The shirt had a green ruffle collar, a reverse sweetheart neckline and pink spots on the shoulders. She also had on pink ballroom gloves with sharp-looking fins on the elbow.

As the mermaid smiled at them, the Paladins then heard the sound of rushing water behind them. Looking back, they yelped as two large muscle sea creatures, wearing some kind of armor swam up behind them. One looked like alien walrus and the other a large purple, humanoid fish.

"Please, do not startle out guests!" the mermaid scolded the soldiers after the Paladins had scattered away from them. After they saw that it was safe, though, they approached the merfolk again.

"I am Florona," the mermaid finally introduced herself with a soft smile, "The almighty Queen Luxia, keeper of our land, would love to meet with you."

"Wait. How did your queen know we were here?" Suzaku asked suspiciously.

Florona just smiled mysteriously, "Queen Luxia knows all."

This answer didn't sit well with the Purple Paladin. Something in his gut told him that something was wrong, but he knew he couldn't do anything without proof, first. While he made a quick mental note to be cautious, he followed Rivalz and Milly as they were escorted to some giant seahorses that they were encouraged to mount.

As the three merfolk escorted the Paladins closer to the Castle, they couldn't help but notice how beautiful the village itself was. The homes seemed to be made mostly of rocks and coral, and small crevices glowing with glow and pink light illuminated the background. More merfolk of all shapes and sizes stared after them as they passed by.

"This place is beautiful," Milly commented with a small smile.

"Yeah…" Rivalz agreed with a nod.

Suzaku, though he admitted to himself that it was a pretty place, still spoke cautiously, "Guys, I know this mermaid thing is cool and all, but we really gotta go."

"We will, Suzaku, we will, but let's meet this queen first. Besides, maybe she can help us," Milly argued back.

"Yeah," Rivalz nodded before an almost devious grin spread over his face, "and, if I just happen to find the future Mrs. Cardemonde, well, then that is alright with me."

The Blue Paladin then suddenly yelped as he felt something hit him hard in the shin. Looking over, he saw that Milly's ride had drifted a little closer to his, but the Yellow Paladin continued to stare ahead as if nothing happened.

"Sorry, foot slipped," she quipped aloofly.

Rivalz scowled. Sometimes he wondered what was going on in that girl's head.

The seahorses eventually came to a stop in front of the palace's entrance, and the three Paladins dismounted. Waiting for them at the front was who they could assume was the queen surrounded by two additional guards. She had teal skin, a long, dark blue fishtail that was speckled with teal spots, and large smooth finlets on her arms by her wrists. Her eyes were also blue. Her hair was light seafoam green and styled into two large hoops behind her back, and her ears were also small purple finlets that had large thin dangling earrings hanging from them.

"Space travelers, I am Queen Luxia," she greeted them warmly, "I welcome you to our village as honored guests."

"The honor's all ours," Rivalz greeted before attempting to bow, "I'm Ri-i-i-i-valz!" he then yelped as the water accidentally sent him floating over backward.

Despite this embarrassing stunt, Suzaku was quick to recover, "Hello Your Majesty, I'm Suzaku, and this is Milly," Suzaku turned and gestured to the Yellow Paladin, who was assisting Rivalz in getting upright again, "We need your help. We crash-landed on your planet, but we really need to get back in touch with our friends who are in space. Would you possibly have any way of doing that?"

The queen smiled, "Suzaku, Milly, Rivalz, I can solve all of your problems. Here, we are all safe and warm."

"You use magic, don't you?" Milly guessed, "This castle's a ship, isn't it? This castle is a ship, am I right? Just don't say anything if I'm right." Milly held up her hands jokingly as she smiled from her babbling.

"Here, I've brought you these," the queen said, as another guard swam up behind her, carrying what looked like a giant conch shell, "The bubble coral will provide you with all the air you need."

The merman swam up to Suzaku and placed the coral against his helmet. To the Paladin's surprise, a giant bubble came out of it and engulfed his entire head. He gasped as he ran his hands along the bubble's surface. It felt dense like thick plastic and showed no signs of breaking in his grip. Even when his hands did penetrate the surface, no water rushed in afterward as he lifted his helmet from his head.

"We thank you," Suzaku said graciously as he lowered his helmet to his side. The merman quickly administered bubbles to Milly and Rivalz as well.

"Cool!" Rivalz exclaimed as Milly laughed. The queen started speaking again as they bost took off their helmets as well.

"And rest assured, your space vessels will be well protected," she gestured above them, and the Paladins turned and gasped as they saw their Lions, with particle barriers up, being transported on thick beds of seaweed towards the palace. "Now, please, follow me."

Before they could do so, Rivalz noticed the large glowing plant behind them, the one they had been able to see from the edge of the village, "What is that?"

"That is the giver of life to our people, the Baku Garden," Luxia happily explained, "When the waters froze over, we were forced to live down here. The garden provides us the warmth and food we need to survive. Because of it, we are taken care of. Here, all are safe and warm."

Suzaku tensed as alarms went off in his head. There was that saying again. It was being said way much too often around here to be considered normal…

o~o

Inside, the Paladins were pleasantly greeted with a banquet that the queen had arranged once she saw them land on their planet. Shells and other things used as their instruments were being played softly in the background. Several mermaids escorted the trio to seats at the front table, large amounts of food and cuisine were already lined up along the middle. The queen herself was seated at the head of it.

Though it looked strange (then again, most alien foods did), the food was delicious. As Suzaku bit into some sort of pastry, he couldn't help but grin as Rivalz smiled alluringly at a couple of mermaids that were lingering by the table. They giggled at a joke the Blue Paladin made, and Rivalz laughed proudly to himself.

Glancing over at Milly, he blinked when he noticed the stink eye that she was subtly shooting at the Blue Paladin. She was attempting to mask it by piling her plate with food and shoving the first thing in her mouth, chewing furiously.

Suzaku chuckled. When were these two going to get a clue? And they called him dense?

The Purple Paladins then turned his attention to the monarch sitting nearby, "Thank you for the food, Your Highness, it tastes great."

"I'm glad you enjoy it. It was picked fresh from the Baku Garden," Luxia smiled before she gestured to the stage in front of them, "And I hope you enjoy the entertainment."

Drums started to play as Suzaku, and his friends drew their attention towards the drawn red curtain. A stage light glowed, and what appeared to be a young mermaid dancer was twirling gracefully from behind it.

"Whoa," Rivalz sighed as he looked on, his cheeks coloring slightly. This only caused Milly to scowl deeper.

However, the curtain soon lifted, and a mermaid didn't greet them, but a purple octopus with another small creature on its head. The creature twirled in the air before spreading out its tentacles widely.

Rivalz nearly choked on his food upon seeing the dancer's identity, and Milly started laughing at the absolute horror-struck reaction on his face.

"Anyway," Suzaku said, drawing his eyes away for a moment to turn to the queen, "about us getting in contact with our friends, how can you help us? We just got out of a large battle, and they may need our help."

"Please, let's discuss that after the dance," Luxia said politely, still gazing at the octopus.

Suzaku frowned at having the matter brushed off, but figured that he should be polite enough to comply. It was just a dance show… right? He shrugged as he turned back to the octopus.

The creature flipped again before turning sideways and spinning slowly in a circle, the lights shining off it, making it look like over a dozen legs were waving in front of them.

'It's like one of those… optical illusion… things…' Suzaku thought before his head suddenly felt light, and his thoughts jumbled together.

"This dance… is amazing," Milly commented, her eyes slowly glazing over.

"Yeah," Rivalz nodded slowly in agreement, eyes also getting hazy, "It's the-it's the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Luxia said to them, her voice getting strangely more echoey, as more light seemed to penetrate from the dance, looking almost like a vortex, "Put your mind at ease. Let your consciousness drift like the tide."

"Sure, I can do that," Suzaku murmured, his head bobbing down like he was about to fall asleep. His head then suddenly shot up, his eyes wide open and pupils dilated, "Wait, we were just talking about something. Weren't we?"

"You were just telling me how much you like it here," Luxia softly whispered in Suzaku's ear, "how much you wanted to stay forever."

"Really?" he asked, starting to feel weak in the knees.

"Really," the queen confirmed with a smile.

"Yeah. Here, we are all safe and warm," Milly agreed, sounding dreamy, "Guys, I think we should stay here forever."

"Okay," Rivalz replied in a slurred tone, floating lazily above the table.

Queen Luxia smiled in victory.

o~o

After the banquet, the Paladins were escorted to a room that they could sleep in. The beds themselves consisted of some sort of giant oysters with soft pink foam for cushioning. Sleeping underwater was fascinating. It made one wonder why they needed beds at all. Because they never stayed in them.

Despite laying in them for a few minutes, the Paladins were soon drifting slowly away from them around the room. They even floated into each other sometimes. This resulted in Milly, somehow, holding tightly to Rivalz with a content smile on her face, slight drool sliding down her chin.

"Hey Euphie," Suzaku mumbled in his sleep, "I hope you…" he yawned in between in sentence, "...enjoy this daifuku I made for you. The filling is strawberry flavored… I know you love strawberries."

The Paladins were in such deep slumber that they didn't hear the wall behind them break open from a clawed hand. The claw them proceeded to carve a bigger hole around it, and the wall was removed to reveal three jellyfish peaking in. Well, sort of. There were three jellyfish, but they were on the heads of three other figures that stealthily swam into the room and approached the slumbering Paladins.

One of them approached Suzaku and covered him in a thick seaweed blanket from head to toe. Another approached both Milly and Rivalz, and seeing that trying to pull them apart was probably a bad idea, wrapped them up together. The three figures then proceeded to drag the three Paladins out of the hole that was made.

They successfully pulled out Suzaku, but Milly and Rivalz got stuck partway. Not to say that they by themselves would not have fit through, but due to being held together, they were just too big.

The three figures still attempted to pull them through, as quietly but gently as possible. This was their one shot to pull off their plan; they didn't want to hurt the land dwellers accidentally.

They were forced to halt their efforts when they spotted a patrol swim by. They weren't seen, but next time they might not be so lucky.

"Leave them," the leader, wearing a giant orange jellyfish, said urgently, "We have to get out of here."

The figure trying to tug them out let go, and the three of them swam off quickly into the darkened sea.

o~o

Suzaku was still fast asleep when the figures brought him to their lair. They had set him down on a soft pile of seaweed but had bound his hands behind him. They had also placed a big starfish over his eyes.

After they left briefly to retrieve something, they returned, relieved to see that he hadn't moved. One of them cautiously swam up and poked him firmly on the shoulder. Suzaku grunted and sat up, still feeling drowsy.

He smacked his lips a few times and opened his eyes, only to met with darkness thanks to the starfish.

He blinked in confusion, "Hello?" he called out drowsily, looking around, "Um… Good morning!" when he still didn't get a reply, he questioned further, "Where am I?"

"He's awake!" one of the figures whispered urgently.

"Why am I blindfolded? Is this a game? I like games..." Suzaku smiled with a dopey grin. Then one of the merfolk approached him with a fat fish that they squeezed close to his face. It exuded a thick green gas into Suzaku's face but soon faded away.

Whatever the gas was, it also woke Suzaku up from whatever trance he was in, as he suddenly sat up more straight, "Wait, where am I? Why am I blindfolded? What's going on?" He shot to his feet and kicked furiously in the water, trying to get some sort of bearings despite not seeing anything.

One of the figures grabbed the starfish that was on Suzaku's face and pulled it off. Suzaku shook his head and blinked several times to adjust to the lighting again. In front of him were three figures floating in front of him. All of them were wearing some sort of green seaweed poncho with different colored jellyfish on their heads. The one to his left was orange, the middle was a yellow-green, and to his right was a teal colored one.

"It's okay. You were mind-swished, but now we want to-"

"Kill me?! Well, think again!" Suzaku shouted, interrupting the teal one and using his jetpack to shoot past them down the tunnel.

"Wait! Come back!" one of them shouted after him, but Suzaku wasn't listening, too busy trying to find a way out.

He gasped fearfully when he almost ran headfirst into some spears and other sharp weapons that were sticking out of the wall. He almost turned to swim the other direction, but paused and took a moment to use them to cut through his restraints.

Now with his arms free, Suzaku grabbed his Bayard but didn't activate it just yet as he swam down another tunnel. He shouted in surprise again when he ran into a room that was filled with bones from dead fish of all sizes. Now starting to get a little scared, he turned and fled down the next tunnel. He was swimming by a small outcropping when a movement caught his eye.

Slowing down to investigate, he inhaled when he saw that the room was filled with multi-colored jellyfish. Seeing that the fish weren't trying to hurt him, he swam in to take a closer look. But, much to his surprise, the jellyfish suddenly increased to about ten times their original size, blocking his way.

With a yelp, he swiftly turned around to leave, only to see the exit blocked by the three merpeople that brought him here.

He activated his Bayard, holding the katana in front of him with a threatening frown.

"Who are you? Where are my friends?!" he demanded.

"Please, we are not here to hurt you," the one with teal jellyfish said, holding her hands up in a placating gesture, "I am Plaxum."

"Blumfump," the orange jelly said.

"Swirn," the yellow one introduced.

"Okay, but you still didn't answer my question. Where are Milly and Rivalz?"

"We tried to bring them too, but we couldn't, but we need your help. We believe you are our savior," Plaxum explained before she and her companions bowed to him.

Suzaku relaxed a little, hearing the desperation in the mermaid's voice, but still didn't lower his katana.

"Your savior? What do you want with me?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"The queen is mind-swishing everyone, controlling their thoughts," Blumfump explained, his flippers on his hips, "We believe you can stop her."

Suzaku did lower his katana this time and looked at the mer in a mixture of confusion and horror. What was going on?

o~o

Back at the palace, Milly and Rivalz finally managed to wake up on their own. They looked around, confused as to why everything was upside down. They then looked at each other. Only then did they realize the predicament they were in.

They screamed in surprise as they tried to break free of whatever was holding them together.

"Help! Help! Somebody!" Milly called out as she struggled to push free of the wall they were wedged into. Rivalz's own struggles weren't helping much either.

At the entrance to the room, the two were relieved to see Florona and Queen Luxia enter the room with some guards. Florona was carrying a tray of food in her hands.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she swam closer to the pair in alarm.

"I don't know, and we're stuck in the wall somehow!" Rivalz exclaimed as he tried to wiggle out.

"Yeah, and-wait!" Milly did a quick scan of the room, "Where's Suzaku? He's gone!"

"There was a break-in," the queen realized as the two guards helped the two Paladins safely out of the wall, "Those cave-dwellers must have taken him."

"Them again?" Florona asked, sounding frustrated, "What should we do?"

"Those meddling mermaids are harmless, but the air-breather could prove troublesome if he doesn't fall back under our control," Luxia said with a scowl.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait, what? Who needs to fall under our control?" Rivalz asked, looking around confused.

"Where's Suzaku? We gotta find him!" Milly exclaimed.

"And we will," the queen reassured them as she pushed them to sit down, "Don't worry your little minds about it. But first, we need to sit down and eat, talk, clear our heads."

Florona held the food out to the two Paladins. But they both seemed reluctant to take anything.

"No, we can't eat right now. If Suzaku's been taken…" Rivalz began while also popping a small piece of food in his mouth. The second he swallowed it though, any thoughts of Suzaku disappeared, and his eyes rested solely on the food, "Oh, boy. That... That is good, though."

"Rivalz, we can't-" Rivalz shoved a piece of a pastry into Milly's mouth before she could finish, and soon Milly was joining him in devouring the food in front of them.

"See? That's all you need. Here, we are all safe and warm," the queen told them.

The two Paladins, having finished the plate of food, contently floated up from their seats lazily began drifting around the room.

"Okay," Rivalz murmured.

"Yeah, we'll let you handle it," Milly slurred with a dreamy smile.

With the two Paladins successfully distracted, the queen turned to face her soldiers, "They are going to come. We must destroy what remains of their kind and bring Suzaku under our control. But first, Florona," the queen turned to the mermaid, "you were in charge of watching the air-breathers. So, now, it is time for you to take a swim in the garden."

Florona looked up at Luxia, and for a moment, a flicker of raw fear flashed across her face. But she soon bowed her head, submissively, "Yes, my queen."

o~o

"Okay, okay, hold on, let me make sure I understand," Suzaku said after the rebel mermaids finished explaining to him what was going on, "You think that the queen is brainwashing her own subjects? Do you have any proof of this? Why would she even do that?"

"What do you remember from yesterday?" Swirn asked casually as she swam around in a circle above them.

Suzaku took a second to think, "Well, we crashed here, saw the mermaids and the village, met the queen, then we had dinner, and then... uh... we-" He started in surprise when he realized that he couldn't remember anything after that. It almost felt like...

"My Geass originally was the ability to compel anyone to obey when I make eye contact with them. The drawbacks that I've noticed so far are that I can only do it once per person. So now that I just used it on Coran, it won't affect him again."

'And from what we've noticed, it also seems to affect the memory too… oh, please don't tell that that's what the queen has too!'

"You can't remember, can you?" Swirn asked.

"No, you're right, I can't," Suzaku shook his head.

"That's because you were under her control," Swirn insisted.

"Our theory is," Blumfump said, holding up a poorly done drawing of the queen with what looked like sonic waves coming from her mouth towards an almost dead looking mermaid, "the queen controls minds by using her voice to strike certain head switches in your ear pan."

Plaxum then swam up behind Blumfump with another drawing, this time of what looked like lasers coming from the queen's eyes, "And her magnetic stare locks on to your eye-to-brain pathway plug."

Suzaku felt his insides turn cold when he saw that drawing and heard the explanation. Lelouch specifically said his Geass could only activate with eye contact. Was this something that it was capable of doing? Could he enslave an entire nation if he wanted to?

"Plus," Swirn added, yet another picture of the queen shooting out sound waves right next to her, "her mind-control sonar is always broadcasting through the waters. Bong! Bong! Bong!"

"And she trains her people to use hypnotic movements to lull you under her control," Plaxum finished, swimming up closer to the Purple Paladin.

"Wait, I do remember a dancer at the banquet," Suzaku told them.

"Good, because I haven't finished my picture for that one," Blumfump said, before throwing the drawings behind him, before swimming up and practically getting in Suzaku's face, "But you see, she was infecting your brain!"

"Wait, so are you saying-" Suzaku was unable to finish his sentence as Plaxum dragged him off towards a giant clamshell. She tapped it once, and upon opening, several different colored jellyfish started swimming out of it into the open water.

"Sit," Plaxum said as she practically threw onto the clam. Suzaku landed with an 'oomph' and then yelped as he felt something wrap around his head. Looking up, he saw that Swirn was using seaweed to measure it.

"The entire village is under the queen's mind control," Blumfump said and was about to say something else when Suzaku interrupted.

"If that's the case, how come you three aren't brainwashed?"

"I was just about to explain that," Blumfump said before continuing, "You see, the only reason we aren't is because we wear these jellyfish that hide our brains from her powers. It's like we have no brains whatsoever. You can't control what doesn't exist."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense," Suzaku nodded and shrugged.

"Our heads are completely empty," Blumfump chirped.

"Yeah, I get it, it works," Suzaku said as Swirn then held the seaweed to measure his face vertically.

"Many years ago, the queen froze over the surface by blocking the thermal vents," Swirn explained to him as Plaxum started to swim among the jellyfish, trying to select the correct size for him, "She forced everyone to the depths, where she began to brainwash them. They became her prisoners."

"What size?" Plaxum called out.

"Eight and seven-eighths aquameters," Swirn answered.

"Okay, but why is she doing this?" Suzaku asked. There had to be a reason. Maybe there had been a rebellion, and she was being paranoid or-

"To kill them!" Blumfump exclaimed.

"Wait, what?! Why?" he asked, shocked.

Blumfump actually swam back a little and paused, "Well, we don't know that for sure, but hundreds of mermaids have disappeared and... never come back."

o~o

Just outside the Baku garden, Queen Luxia led Florona to the entrance of it. Here she had cast many of her disobedient subjects, never to be seen again. It was for the greater good of keeping her people safe and warm.

"Goodbye, Florona. It is time to return to the giver of life," Luxia ordered, and Florona slowly began to approach the mysterious garden.

If she had been on land, tears would have begun welling in her eyes. She knew if she went inside, she wouldn't come out. But it was by her queen's orders. And she could not disobey.

o~o

"We've tried to take out the queen, but failed several times," Swirn told him sadness coating her tone, "And every attempt depletes our numbers. Now, there are only three of us left. Without you, there is no hope."

"Found one," Plaxum said as she started swimming over with a sizeable jellyfish in her arms.

"So, what exactly makes you think I can fix this?" Suzaku asked, honestly.

"We saw the mer-cat you came in," Blumfump explained, "We think it can stand up against the queen and her forces. But first, you'll need one of these."

Plaxum came over with the jellyfish, "Now, they sting pretty bad and don't smell great."

"If my theory is correct, the smelliest ones block the most mind-control rays," Blumfump said further as Plaxum came closer.

Hearing Blumfump's talk about all these theories briefly reminded him of working with Lloyd and Cecile in the Engineering department. Though he doubted that Blumfump was a sociopath like the Earl. He wondered how those two were doing. Who was piloting the Lancelot now?

"So, are you a scientist or something?" Suzaku couldn't help but ask.

"No," Blumfump denied.

"Also, they can sometimes make your face swell," Plaxum added just before she put it on, "and you might experience hearing loss."

"Could you just put it on, please?" Suzaku asked almost impatiently. His outburst startled Plaxum a little, but the mermaid then quickly complied. Suzaku braced himself as the jellyfish was shoved onto his head.

Once the jelly had settled onto his head, Suzaku cried out, bending over and clutching his air bubble. It burned. Very, very badly.

"Is it burning?" Plaxum asked, "If it's burning, that means it's working!"

It took about a minute for the stinging to finally stop. Suzaku's face had swelled up pretty badly, especially around his mouth and left eye. But he'd endure it. The faster they did this, the faster the jellyfish came off.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" he asked through his puffy lips.

The rebels brought Suzaku to their map to explain their attack plan.

"Here's what Blumfump came up with," Plaxum said, turning her attention to the larger merman. He was holding a small figure that looked like a mini person.

"This is you," he gestured to it, "You act like you're still thought-swirled and get past the guards," he made the figure jump through the structure that must have been the palace over to the three mini clams colored purple, blue, and yellow. He placed 'Suzaku' down next to the purple clam and picked it up, "Get your mer-cat and grab the queen," he used the clam to snatch the queen figurine in its 'jaws,' "We'll mount a full-scale attack on the castle and free the people," he moved the three remaining figures inward around the Castle.

"Seems like a good plan," Suzaku admitted. He could see Lelouch coming up with something similar, though he would've added his own little Zero flair to it too. However, there was a small problem Suzaku couldn't overlook, "I'll be honest though, I'm not the best actor. What will happen if they suspect me?"

"If your acting fails you," Blumfump started, before reaching into his poncho and pulling out a large puffed up fish. He tossed it towards the Purple Paladin, "this holds three doses of antidote to use on the guards. It should interrupt the queen's mind-control long enough for you to escape."

Suzaku took the fish, nodding, "My friends are in their too… but I promise that I'll do whatever I can to help."

o~o

Suzaku peaked out from the outcropping he was hiding behind. He was disappointed to see that several merman guards were keeping an eye on their Lions. Now that the swelling had gone down, he could see a little bit better. He took a deep breath before swimming out towards them.

"Good evening, soldiers," he greeted as politely and casually as he could, "quite the safe and warm day we've been having. If you could excuse me, I need to grab something from Yo-no!" Suzaku cried out in horror as the guards immediately threw a net over him and dragged him back towards the palace.

They took him straight to the throne room, where the queen sat serenely on top of it. She smiled down cruelly at Suzaku, who glared defiantly back at her.

"I had a feeling you'd come for your vessel," she said.

"Why are you doing this?" he demanded, "They're your own people! They don't deserve this!"

"All I'm doing is keeping my people safe and warm. Is that really so wrong? Servants, take Suzaku to the Baku Garden."

Suzaku heard the doors to his left open, and he gasped in horror as he saw Rivalz and Milly staring stoned face at him.

'Oh no!' he thought, realizing that Luxia was controlling them. Before they could grab him, he acted quickly and shot upwards with his jetpack over their heads. Even though they were underwater, Suzaku was still a warrior at heart. He wasn't going down without a fight!

"Everyone! Capture him!" Luxia ordered furiously, pointing at Suzaku's form.

With Suzaku now on higher ground, he had a good advantage as he waited patiently for the guards to come at him. Once they were in range, Suzaku managed to knock them both out with two quick but powerful kicks to the head.

Looking back down, he gasped as he saw Milly and Rivalz charging him as well, their expressions having not changed at all. He knew they would be mind-controlled, but he didn't expect to fight them. He didn't want to hurt them if he could. Suzaku leaped off the wall quickly began swimming to the entrance. In the process, he pulled out the fish that contained the antidote. If he could fire it at them together, it should snap them out of it.

He ducked when he saw Rivalz attempt to grab him from behind. He grabbed hold of the Blue Paladin's foot and flung him away into one of the throne room walls, temporarily stunning him.

He almost didn't see Milly swing her kusarigama at him, but he managed to turn in time. Instinctively, he grabbed the end of the chain that flew at him, barely missing the blade part of the weapon. He admitted that it was a risky move, one that he was sure Todoh-Sensei would've forced him to do a hundred push-ups for, but Milly was still pretty inexperienced with the weapon, so her aim wasn't always the greatest either.

He tugged forcibly on the chain, drawing the Yellow Paladin towards him with a yelp of her own. He made little work of tying her up with her own weapon before taking the fish and squeezing it forcefully in her face.

Milly gasped and blinked, "Huh? What-what wait, what's going on, why am I tied up?" was the first thing she asked before looking up at Suzaku, "Suzaku, why's there's a jellyfish on your head?"

Relieved to see that Milly was free from the hypnosis, he says, "I'll explain later, but I need you to grab Rivalz!"

"Wait, why-whoa! She cried as Suzaku tugged the kusarigama chain again, this time freeing her from that, but making her spin rapidly for a moment. Suzaku doesn't have time to help her, though, as Rivalz came up and tackled Suzaku from behind, causing the Purple Paladin to lose his grip on the antidote fish. It helplessly bounced off the wall and outside the palace.

Suzaku managed to kick Rivalz off of him before he made a beeline for the fish outside. He managed to snatch it up again and would've been tackled again had Milly not grabbed the Blue Paladin first, locking her arms around his elbows and legs around his knees.

"Sorry, Rivalz," Milly apologized as he struggled. Despite this, she managed to hold Rivalz long enough for Suzaku to squeeze the antidote at the Blue Paladin as well.

As the mist cleared, Rivalz's eyes went wide before he shook his head rapidly, "Whoa! Whoa! Where am I? What am I doing? Milly, you're kind of hurting me."

"Sorry," she said again before letting him go, seeing that he was back to normal, and turned to their purple compatriot, "Anyway, Suzaku, about the jellyfish?"

"Guys listen," Suzaku said, swimming up to them with a severe frown, "you've been mind-controlled by the queen, and you were trying to kill me. And she's done the same thing to all of the other merpeople here!"

He gave a brief summary to them of what the rebels told him what was happening.

At one point Rivalz tried to comment, "Wait, that sounds a lot like-"

"Lelouch's Geass, I know," Suzaku nodded, "We can worry about that later! We need to get to our Lions now!"

"Got it!" Rivalz nodded.

"Right!" Milly agreed as the trio shot away from the courtyard and toward the Lions that were still parked beside the palace.

Before the three could make it to their Lions, to their horror, they were surrounded by several royal guards. Suzaku pulled out his katana again while Milly held tight to her kusarigama as well.

Suzaku braced himself to defend when one of the guards charged. But it turned out he didn't need to as the guard instead got hit in the face by a familiar fat fish. Turning around, Suzaku was relieved to see Plaxum and Blumflup swimming up behind them to back them up. In the distance on a giant manta ray, Swirn could be seen firing several jellyfish at attacking soldiers as well. Plaxum threw a starfish shuriken at one of the guards that pinning his arm directly to a rock wall.

Suzaku grappled with one of the guards before leaping off of him in a backflip, disarming the guard just before an antidote fish was fired at him as well.

"Wait, who are these weirdos?" Rivalz asked, in a little too much shock to try and help. Milly had managed to block a couple of coming attacks, but the rebels took care of most of the other soldiers already.

Suzaku swam up beside them and smiled, "Don't worry, they're with us."

"Come, we must hurry to your mer-cats," Plaxum called over. The Paladins didn't waste another second as they quickly swam inside each other there Lions.

Once Suzaku was situated inside of Yoru, he pressed a button that opened his Lion's jaw. Plaxum swam inside and hung onto one of the teeth, "You hanging on?"

"Yes, let's go!" Plaxum called out as the jaw closed.

"Okay, so what's the plan exactly?" Rivalz asked over the intercom.

"We need to grab the-"

"We need to grab the queen and take her to an ice prison that Blumfump built, where her mind-control powers will be trapped because of the thick ice and the jellyfish," Plaxum finished for Suzaku.

"Um, who's that?" Milly asked.

"That's Plaxum. Just go with it!" Suzaku shouted before Yoru, and the other two Lions shot off towards the palace entrance.

As they approached the entrance, the team plus Plaxum saw several figures standing at the entryway. One of them their target.

"There she is!" Rivalz shouted as they charged straight towards it.

Plaxum let out a savage growl as she loaded a slingshot she had with her and shot two more antidote fish at the palace entrance, engulfing the queen and several guards in the green mist. Thanks to the confusion it caused, Plaxum then shot out a grappling hook with an octopus at the end of it that hit the queen right in the middle. With a grunt of surprise, Luxia was reeled into the Purple Lion and detained at last.

"Got her! Let's go!" Suzaku shouted as he and the others took off towards the ice prison the rebels had prepared.

Inside of Yoru's jaw, Queen Luxia groaned and opened her eyes, looking around in confusion, "Where am I? What's going on?"

Plaxum, still holding the end of her jellyfish grapple, glared vengefully at the monarch, "What's going on is you're not mind-controlling these people anymore, Your Majesty."

"What? Mind-control? Me?" to everyone's surprise, the queen sounded confused and even scared. Luxia looked down as if in thought before her eyes widened, and she looked desperately at Plaxum, "No! Please, my people are in danger! You must go back!"

"Plaxum, what's going on?" Suzaku questioned from the pilot chamber.

"Nothing! It's a ruse!" the rebel insisted stubbornly.

"You sure?" Milly asked on another comm. For some reason, the queen's reaction sounded genuine. Had they gotten something wrong?

"I wasn't controlling anyone," Queen Luxia insisted stubbornly. Suddenly her eyes widened again, and she gasped in horror, "The Baku!"

"She's lying!" Plaxum exclaimed.

"I'm not. Please!" the queen pleaded as she tried to explain, "The last thing I remember is that organism in the garden falling from space. I went to inspect it. I thought it was a plant."

Unbeknownst to them, back at the palace, the Baku Garden walls started to quiver erratically.

"Wait a minute, we've been eating that plant," Rivalz realized, his mouth already salivating from the memory, "And it's delicious! It's so safe and warm."

Before Rivalz could nod off again, Suzaku cried out, realization hitting him like a bullet train, "We had it all wrong! The queen had nothing to do with this! It was the plant the whole time. She was just the first one to be mind-controlled."

"But why?" Plaxum asked, clearly confused.

"The Baku has been harvesting us all. We are its food source," the queen explained frantically.

"No way…" Rivalz gasped, eyes wide.

"Guys! I think she's telling the truth. Look out the window!" Milly shouted, looking back at the palace.

Turning their Lions around, the trio watched in horror as what they thought was a peaceful, harmless-looking garden, slivered to life. Dark violet light seemed to absorb into its being. Like a massive, angry anaconda, the Baku rose from its resting place and let out a mighty and deafening roar, its mouth opening to reveal rows of sharp serrated teeth inside its mouth.

Gasping in shock, Suzaku quickly opened Yoru's mouth, "Plaxum, get the queen somewhere safe!"

The rebel quickly led the queen away from the Lions and the creature it was now facing. With civilians out of the way, the Lions prepared for battle.

"Okay, change of plans, that Baku thing is our real target. Let's take it out!" the Purple Paladin exclaimed before he charged towards it.

The Baku reared back and charged towards the Lions, gliding swiftly through the water and quickly knocking Maeraka and Milly out of the way while Polaris and Yoru dodged it with ease. Rivalz quickly shot a beam in the Baku's direction when it attempted to hit Milly again, but it promptly slithered out of the way to avoid being hit.

"Whoa!" the Yellow Paladin cried, struggling to maintain control through the turbulence, "Guys, that thing's too quick for me. I can't hit it! Maeraka's not very good in the water."

"Really?" Rivalz asked, "Polaris is moving better than ever. There's something about fighting underwater that's making me feel extra quick and powerful."

"Yeah, Yoru's feeling pretty good too," Suzaku observed, as he smoothly corkscrewed around the Baku's tail, "Which is weird, she should still be healing from our fight with Zarkon."

"Maybe it's due to the lack of light down here?" Rivalz guessed, "I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but when we're right out in open space and in darker places, you and Kallen almost match neck to neck in speed. And Yoru's ability is some sort of black hole suction so…"

"So Yoru works better at night, got it. Must be the same for Maeraka, but in light and daytime," Suzaku concluded.

"Huh, makes sense," Milly reluctantly agreed.

"Anyway, I think I know how to stop that thing," Suzaku told them.

"How?" Rivalz asked as the Baku swirled around them once again, Milly barely dodging its hit this time.

"Simple. We gotta stop shooting where the creature is and start shooting where the creature's gonna be!"

"So… like this?" Rivalz asked as Polaris shot out a stream of ice in the Baku's path. Just as the beam should've hit the ocean floor, the Baku's head got his with the attack instead, encasing it in a prison of ice.

"Great shot Rivalz!" Suzaku cheered with a grin.

The victory was short-lived as the Baku used its tail to break the ice, showing that little to no damage had been done in the process.

"Okay, take this!" Milly shouts as she has Maeraka shoot out a supernova in the Baku's direction. The flash bomb went off, and the Baku screamed in surprise. But once it wore off, the only thing it seemed to do was annoy it, as the monster quickly smacked Maeraka down towards the floor.

"Milly!" Rivalz shouted as he and Polaris raced after her.

Gritting his teeth, Suzaku spiraled out of the way of the Baku's tail and shot toward some rocks in the distance. If he could get it away from the village, they would have more space to fight and fewer casualties.

"What do I do?!" he whispered desperately. With perfect timing, Suzaku felt Yoru purr confidently as several images flashed through his mind, "You think that'll work?" receiving a nudge of confirmation, Suzaku inhaled, "Alright, here goes!"

Turning around sharply, Suzaku faced the Baku head-on, and just as the creature seemed about to strike, Yoru opened her maw and started sucking in the water rapidly around the Baku. The suction was almost acting like a drainage pipe, pulling the water inward like a whirlpool.

The Baku roared in shock and tried to swim away, but the force of the pull was too much for it to break free.

"Alright! Go, Suzaku!" Rivalz shouted gleefully. Before he could give any more comments, though, he felt a nudge from his own Lion and looked down at the controls. To the side, an image that looked like sonic waves lit up, "What…? Oh, okay! Here goes nothing!"

The Blue Paladin thrust his controls forward, and Polaris let out a loud roar. Appearing on her back, very similar to how Aka's appeared, a giant cannon came to life. With a burst of power, a giant sonic beam shot out from the cannon, engulfing the Baku on the other side.

The monster was now stuck between a rock and a hard place as it struggled to stay away from the whirlpool Suzaku had created and the sonic waves Rivalz had let loose.

Off to the side of the battle, Milly looked in awe as the two boys practically had the monster pinned down. But Milly wasn't the type of girl to stay out of a fight that easily.

"Come on, girl, let's not let them hog all the glory!" she smirked as she shot one her controls forward, and Maeraka shot a bolt of energy at the rock wall above them. The beam sent the rock wall crumbling down around them, beginning to bury the Baku alive.

"This place is coming down! Let's get out of here!" Suzaku shouted as he and Rivalz ceased their assault and quickly retreated away from the falling rocks. They heard the Baku let out one last cry of anger before a large boulder collided with its head, silencing it forever.

"Suzaku, that was so cool! You practically made your own whirlpool! And Rivalz, you just dropped a sonic boom on that thing!" Milly cheered happily.

"Hey, but you finished the job with that rockslide Milly," Rivalz complimented, "so thanks!"

"Oh, I try!" the Yellow Paladin giggled as the three Lions turned back to the palace victorious.

o~o

After everyone had calmed down and it was confirmed the Baku was gone, everyone returned to the palace. The queen and the three rebel fighters stood at the entrance waiting for them.

"So, Blumfump, the jellyfish, the magnetic stare, the hypnotic dance. You got it all wrong. It was the food that the Baku was giving all this time," Suzaku explained to the leader.

'But… even though Geass also didn't have anything to do with this, I still want to talk to C.C. about it… if this is something Lelouch is capable of...' he didn't finish his thought, feeling too sick to his stomach to do so.

Blumfump, however, didn't look too upset about being proven wrong, and instead looked rather intrigued, "Well, I did say they were theories. Mer-science isn't always about getting the right answer."

"I want to thank you all for what you've done," Queen Luxia said graciously, "You've freed my people, and I will do all I can to protect that freedom. I vow to be the voice of my people," she then turned to the three rebels, "I beg of you to help. Will you be my advisors?"

"Of course, Your Highness," Blumfump immediately said, pulling out some scrolls from underneath his poncho, "I have some great ideas. Have you ever heard of electricity?"

Plaxum then swam up to the Paladins personally, "And I wanted to personally thank you, Suzaku," and, to everyone's surprise, the mermaid swam up and kissed Suzaku's helmet. Despite himself, the Purple Paladin couldn't help the small blush that spread around his cheeks. Rivalz stood to the side, mouth hanging open jealously.

Plaxum then sighed, "Finally, I can remove this thing," she said, as she took hold of the jellyfish, to reveal a beautiful blue mermaid that smiled back at them.

"Woah!" Rivalz gasped, eyes sparkling at the mermaid's revealed beauty. It quickly ended though with Milly giving him a sharp elbow to the ribs.

As Rivalz took time to recover, Milly quickly approached the queen, "Queen Luxia, the reason we came here in the first place was to see if you could help us find our friends."

"Of course," the queen answered. Two of Luxia's guards then brought out a giant clamshell that they placed in the center of the square.

"It has been many years since we have activated the energy beacon, but perhaps it is time to rebuild our civilization and reach out to interstellar travelers once again." As the clam opened to reveal a beautiful pearl sitting in the middle of it, the queen exclaimed, "Activate energy beacon!"

The pearl in the middle of the clam suddenly glowed a bright gold, and moments later, a brilliant ray of light shot up from it, ascending towards the planets surface, easily breaking through the thick ice that surrounded them. It reached high above the atmosphere and could easily be seen from the planet's orbit.

o~o

Moments later, from space itself, a familiar wormhole opened up, and Rai and Zerith swiftly exited it.

"I see the beacon!" Rai exclaimed as he pushed Zerith closer towards it.

o~o

"There is a mer-cat in our system that appears to be heading our way," Luxia informed them as the image of the Green Lion appeared on the surface of the beacon.

"It's Zerith! Rai's coming!" Suzaku exclaimed in relief.

"See guys? I told you they could help us," Rivalz said, crossing his arms with a smile.

"Yeah, plus we saved a whole planet by ourselves! Now we can brag to the others back at the Castle," Milly smirked.

"Duly noted," Suzaku chuckled and shook his head fondly.

"You know, I can totally get used to this whole 'Defender of the Universe' thing," Milly commented with a smile as they watched Rai approach ever closer to the planet.

#Fanfiction #AU #Voltron #Code Geass #suzaku kururugi #milly ashford #rivalz cardemonde #mermaids

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bonefall · 4 months

Note

How do the researchers react to the clan cats leaving the lake for a time?

You mean the little patrols they send out?

They aren't aware of them, EXCEPT for the Beaver Expedition that Dovepaw was on. They found out about that one because they got a phone call from the team in charge of the beaver introduction.

It was NERVE WRACKING. Both teams were terrified the other would injure their subjects. They were horrified when the cats dug out the top of the dam and pulled the squealing baby beavers out, thinking this was going to end BADLY, but practically cried in relief and excitement when the Clan cats baited the parents towards the lake.

(I like to imagine someone on the beaver team ended up hitting it off with someone on the Clan cat team. The wedding cake was cats and beavers.)

But generally? They don't know about expeditions. Sometimes they catch them leaving, but don't have the funding to chase them down.

Clan cats are also not under constant surveillance. Very important to understand this. Clan cats will attack anything that upsets them and good cameras are expensive; they snuck one into the ThunderClan Camp once in like 2009, and Firestar dug it up at the stake and dropped it down the WindClan border ravine because it was freaking his warriors out.

(The cats don't understand that the cameras watch; they just don't like the Freaky Human Thing)

So the team has to be careful, not install too many, and hide the ones they do have. They don't want the cats to move again.

#I try to make sure that my researchers are more like actual wildlife scientists than gods. Yknow?#I think it's more interesting that they have funding issues and can't just install endless cameras #PLUS the cats reach the lake around 2008-ish. So I try to keep the technology accurate #Re: a lot of this is based off techniques they had to use for capturing the footage on Meerkat Manor #I also use the wayback machine to reference the Sirtrack catalogue which was cutting edge tech at the time #And mind you! This isn't meerkat manor. These researchers are ridiculously underfunded #Have i ever mentioned that i loved meerkat manor as a kid? A family member used to record it for me lmaooo #Better bones au #Millie's radio collar

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jurassicpark1990 · 5 years

Text

i was tagged by @roberthagg to do the below!

Rules: answer the questions, then add one of your own! Tag 5 people to do it too!

1. Who is/are your idol(s)?

uhhhhh my mum i guess?

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

egypt! i was Obsessed with the pyramids when i was a kid so would love to see them for real

3. What decorates the walls of your room?

i have an orange ‘white’ board that spans one wall and it has a game of thrones calendar, a hufflepuff banner, some polaroid pics of my friends and shit, a map of middle earth + a bunch of random shit written all over it

4. Favourite colour combination?

orange and black + orange and purple + shades of pink

5. What’s on the top of your bucket list?

i don’t have any kind of organised list but i guess travel to america? because that’s actually happening soon so that’s the top of things i want to do

6. Height?

like 5’9/5’10

7. Favourite animals?

cats + dogs + red pandas + zebras

8. What’s the last song you listened to?

probs something dumb on the radio but it was water me by lizzo on spotify

9. How many/what kind of pets do you have?

dalmatian called pippa + greyhound called nettie + grouchy old kitty cat called millie

10. Last movie you saw in theatres?

uhhh probs spiderman far from home or whatever it was called, i don’t really go to the movies a whole lot

11. Comfort food or favourite food?

comfort food is roast lamb and veggies but fav food is probs fried chicken lmao

12. Why did the chicken cross the road?

to get where it was going

13. Book you’re currently reading?

interview with the vampire by anne rice (i haven’t actually touched it in like 3 weeks but i refuse to give up on it)

14. Your favourite season and three things you like about it?

spring! because my birthday is in october + perf weather for long dresses + it’s nice and warm but not so hot that i’ll get burnt as soon as i leave the house

15. You are about to get into a fight, what song comes on as your soundtrack?

that song from kill bill (you know the one)

16. (+1) If you won the lottery tomorrow, what is the first thing you would buy yourself?

i’d buy a place in one of the fancy inner melbourne suburbs that i’ll never actually be able to afford ever

17. (+1) What fictional world would you want to live in?

middle earth especially the shire because hobbits live the best life

18. (+1) If you had to learn a completely new language, what would be?

swedish! i actually got pretty decent at it on duolingo but too busy atm to keep it up

19. (+1) If you were a cartoon character stuck in the same outfit forever, what would it be?

my yellow top with bugs and plants all over it + denim jacket with faux fur collar + black skinny jeans + grey vans

thanks for the tag and i’ll be tagging: @hymanforconsul @officialbabayaga @departmentofmotorvehicles @leftistwinemom @mrdarcysbutt

#long post #hopefully that read more works lmao #thanks so much for the tag! this was fun and realazing #relaxing*#trust me i needed it after today at work #and obvs no pressure on the peeps i tagged #beth stuff

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manysquidsandoctos · 5 years

Text

The Final Fight

(Part 3)

——————

The darkness.....it was stinky, it was.

But now I awake to a nightmare.

A nightmare that awaited me.

.....I never meant to hurt her, I....

I swear.......

——————

Emmy and company had gone underground. The EAT was about 7:30. Jesse, Theo, And Octa held flashlights to light the way. Fiona walked behind the group. Millie has her black cloak on, the one she made herself.

Callie and Marie has stayed behind to be the Base of Operations. They had the radio turned up to hear the poor agents, and a map of the underground passageways. There were chips on their ink tanks to pinpoint them.

“See anything yet?” Marie asked through the earpiece Emmy wore. She held it, and clicked the button to respond. “Nothing yet. But we’re arriving now.”

Aster, like he promised, was waiting for them there. Calypso wasn’t anywhere to be seen, thank Cod. She would traumatized to see it.

“They should be here soon. Get ready.” Aster said.

They laid the weapons out, dishing it out to each person. When they were finished, footsteps could be heard.

“They’re coming! Hide!” Emmy whispered, everyone getting into positions.

Arriving was only....Tsubaki, and a few other DU soldiers. Perhaps everyone wasn’t here yet?

Emmy inched closer. But she didn’t know that they were wearing night-vision contacts.

“Oh, sweet, sweet princess.” She walked to where Emmy was and grabbed her by the collar of her uniform. “Did you really think you could win?”

“Emmy!” Alf exclaimed. Wayne rushed forward, but was taken surprise with a blow to the stomach. He fell to his knees, holding his abdomen in pain.

“You and your pathetic band of idiots never stood a chance.” Tsubaki cooed. “Not when you’re the main attraction.”

Tsubaki pulled out a device, which blinked with a green pulsing light. “This is our latest invention. This will control the partially-sanitized subjects and make them fight for our cause. But unfortunately, it only works on successful test subjects. And there’s only one in existence. Princess here.”

“What are you going to do to her?!” Pris exclaimed.

“The only thing I can do.” She secured the device to Emmy’s ink tank. Her ink color suddenly changes to sanitation green. Her pupils became smaller.

“Now, who wants to stop her? Any volunteers?”

“Now what?!” Fiona exclaimed. She held her arm. She has to keep reminding herself she was also like Emmy: partially sanitized. Perhaps karma for bullying her about it.

Emmy brought the prototype for the Ink Sword Seanna was working on.

“Uh oh!” Seanna cried.

Emmy lunged at the group. No one knew how Emmy fought. Was it all a lost cause?

Nope.

Millie countered, with her own version of the Ink Sword, the finished version. She struggled to push against Emmy’s sword, but managed to pull it off.

“Milady!!” Kama shouted, reaching his hand out toward her. Millie put her own hand up to stop him. “No! Leave her to me! I’ve trained with her one-on-one, I know her movements! I can predict what she does!”

“In this state, she’s unpredictable. She could do anything.” Aster explained. “If you’ve any brains, I suggest you fall back.”

“I’m the only shot we have of getting her back! Please!” She said.

It looked like mind-controlled Emmy chose for her, as she began swinging the sword violently. Millie countered all of those, and fought back.

Emmy had tried to flank her, but Millie was quicker and dodged, trying her hardest to precisely slice the device off her ink tank.

Millie had to keep focused. Emmy was her friend! She couldn’t lose....could she?

That one moment of doubt and hesitation was all it took for Emmy to take advantage.

Emmy slashes her arm, flipping over her and shoving her up against the wall. “Gah!”

“Millie!” Aqua cried.

“You’re dreams of peace with all are dead. Give up now.” Emmy had said. “No...Emmy, you’d never say that-“

Emmy had thrown Millie to the ground, and got a really good slash in- on Millie’s right eye.

“ARGH!” She held her face in pain and agony.

“MILADY!!” Kama screamed.

A shadow like figure pushes Emmy far away, leaving her on the ground.

“Octan!!” Octa exclaimed. “Brother, how did you-“

“Your tracking devices. Never mind now, get that young lady to safety. She’s in a critical condition, and losing ink fast.”

“She’s WHAT?!” Kama shouted.

“I got her!” Seanna said, dragging Millie to the side. “Don’t worry, Millie, just hang in there.”

“Urgh.....” Millie mumbled, her body limp. The gash on her face was large, and most of the bleeding was from her arm. Seanna began wrapping bandages (from her trusty med kit) around the wounds. “Millie, please stay with us!! Millie!” Millie had begun to lose consciousness.

Kama faced Tsubaki. “YOU did this! Using a young girl to slaughter others.....you’re truly disgusting and manipulative!!”

“I’m only doing my job.” She chuckled. “And it won’t matter. You will all bow to Leader Frederick eventually.”

“Don’t get petty! You just messed with the wrong cephalopods!” Pris exclaimed.

#splatoon #//ic #story plot #emmy #aqua #pris #alf #jesse #octa #theo #fiona #kama #millia #octan #tsubaki #oh nuuu millie D:

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dreamland2005universe · 3 years

Text

ThunderClap and Impossible Girl Chpt.1

I dodged a punch and grabbed the man’s arm and threw him into the wall. I grabbed the back of his arms, and I went through his body with an electrical shock. It wasn’t strong enough to kill him, but strong enough to knock him out. The other thief shoots his gun at me, but nothing went through my back because it bounced off my twin sister’s chest. Her dog, known as Impossible Dog, ran at the guy and bit his leg, and the guy screamed in pain, and then impossible Girl hit him with a single blow of her fist.

She took the man by the collar. She didn’t say a word while doing all that stuff. Cops came in and took the guys, put them in the back of the cop’s car. The cops thanked us, and the reporters came to us in a hurry.

“Thunderclap, how does it feel to be the most talked-about people or heroes in the world,” asked one reporter.

“When did you guys get powers,” asked another.

The reporters were talking all at the same time making it difficult to hear any of the questions. It’s been 4 years since my sister and I became the world’s most famous superheroes, along with Cole Who became NightHowl. I was getting used to the reporters and stuff, but Lizzy hated that she got crowded a lot after saving a store or stopping a car chase.

She just didn’t like all the fame like I was. Lizzy didn’t answer anything and ran off with her dog following her, probably Back to her dorm room at her college or maybe T.H.U.ND.E.R agency. The place only consists of five very smart and technical people I know, I only have five for now until we have more heroes. I want T.H.U.N.D.E.R to be a place for future heroes one day.

I looked at the reporters and I answered a few things I want to answer.

I pushed a button on my wristwatch, a black and Yellow mustang drove fast to the crowd and everyone got out of the way fast. I casually walked to the car and looked at the reporters.

“Being a hero is the best thing I ever became in my life and we got powers awhile ago,” I said and got in the car.

I drove off fast into the busy road, I pushed a button on the car and it went invisible.

Then the car started to change its color to a black mustang and became not invisible. No one noticed because Denver was a busy city and no one really notices, Most of the transformation was fast enough they wouldn’t notice my car reappearing.

I thought about Lizzy and how she is a hero. I pushed another button on my wristwatch and my super suit turned into a tux suit.

She didn’t want a big commitment to be a hero but I convinced her it would be cool if she helped me. She did but she put in a little commitment, she loved the feeling of helping others but she was a lot more committed to her studies of being a social worker and helping kids in bad situations. She loved kids and loved helping them with what they are going through at their homes. She

Lizzy was always a kind person, she absolutely loves my daughter Gabby a lot. Feels like she loves her more than I do. I think she went into that profession in college to be able to give attention to a child since she didn’t have any attention from our parents since they had worked all the time and were never around.

I thought back when I was a kid, I was a mess and did horrible in school. It was because of my parents.

They were never around to teach me to be good and to be better. I only had my sisters and girlfriend to help me straighten up. I did do better when my baby sister died. I wanted to find her killer but everyone refrained me from doing so. I just did better for the sake of my loved ones. I did a lot better when Gabby was born and Mia passed away during birth. I wanted Gabby to live the best life she could ever want.

I started a tech company to get good money and did so and became one of the youngest men to own a business. I thought about the life I had and hoped things will stay peaceful. I made an instant stop when I saw cars not moving which helped me out of my thoughts. I saw that there was a collision between two cars on the four-way road. There were ambulances, a fire truck, and cops. There was no way for cars to go around the crash.

I didn’t have time for this, I needed to be at my daughters’ school in less than ten minutes to pick her up and take her home.

I saw a cop walking between the cars talking to some people. I opened my window and shouted for the cop. He went up to my car.

“How long is this going to take,” I asked referring to the crash.

“From what they say 30 minutes to clear the road once they take care of the people in the collision,” the cop said.

“I can’t wait that long, is there a way you let everyone go around this,” I asked.

The cop looks like he heard this response a lot when he sighed.

“I’m sorry sir but we can’t,” the cop said.

I nodded in understanding and the cop walked away. I closed my window and hit my hand on the steering wheel in frustration.

“Damn it!” I said.

I didn’t know what to do, Lizzy went back to her job and Lauren was on a business trip in France. I had a button for my car to fly but I couldn’t in front of all these people around even if I go invisible.

I grabbed my phone and started to dill my daughters’ school. A woman with a low unhappy voice.

“Bromwell Elementry School office, how can I help you,” the lady asked.

“Yes, I’m going to be forty minutes late to get my daughter from school because of traffic and no one I know can get her, would it be okay if some stays there with her till I get there,” I asked her.

“What’s your daughters’ name,” she asked.

“Gabriella Riggs,” I said.

I heard typing for like thirty seconds and then it stopped.

“We will work something out,” She said.

I said thank you and hung up. I put my phone and rested my head on the steering wheel.

“This day can’t get fucking Worse,” I said to myself.

I turned on my radio and an interview from a talk show called Millie and Jared Afternoon podcast came on. Millie started to talk.

“I can’t believe it been a year since our heroes Thunderclap, Impossible girl and impossible Dog came to help out,” She said

“Yeah, they helped out with a robbery and it was cool but Impossible Girl still didn’t say anything to the press again. I wonder why she always avoided reporters,” Jared said.

“I mean I don’t like being asked questions all at once, maybe she is the same way and makes her different from heroes in the comics and that’s awesome to me,” Millie said.

“That is kind of awesome, but some people like heroes that are interactive with the press like Thunderclap and NightHowl is,” Jared said.

“I get that but cut her some slack, She and Thunderclap became heroes a year ago, she probably isn’t used to it yet,” Millie said.

“I believe it, just she should speak up soon,” Jared said.

“Which out of the heroes do you like better,” Millie asked Jared.

“Hmm… I would say NightHowl. Like his power is more awesome. I wish I could be able to turn into a wolf wouldn’t you,” Jared asked.

“Heck no, I wouldn’t be caught dead turning into a smelly wild dog,” Millie said sternly.

Jared did a small laugh.

“Well that’s all for today, call the number 719-235-9864 for questions or any interesting stories we can feature” Jared.

“Have a good day everyone,” they both said at the same time.

I drove a bit fast and made it to the elementary school in twenty minutes. I stopped my car and parked in front of the school. I quickly got out of my car and headed to the school entrance. I walked into the school and saw my daughter outside the school office on a bench with her teacher Ms. Smith.

The teacher saw me and pointed at me then Gabby looked at me. She quickly got up and ran at me.

“Daddy,!” Gabby yelled.

I picked her up and held her with my arm.

“Your willy late Daddy,” she said.

I chuckled.

“I know, Thank you, Ms. Smith,” I said looking at the teacher.

“Of course, she is a piece of cake when it comes to my students,” Ms. Smith said.

I nodded.

I walked out to the car and strapped her in her car seat. I went back round to the driver’s seat opening the door but then felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked at who it was and it was Ms. Smith.

“Umm… Mr. Riggs, I’ve been wanting to ask if you are free to have dinner tonight,” she asked me.

I had women ask me this all the time but I was surprised that Ms. Smith asked me since she was my daughters’ teacher. When I see her she seemed closed off from men. Even though she was a nice woman, I couldn’t date her. I never dated anyone after Mia’s death. I only wanted to focus on my daughter and my jobs.

“I’m sorry Ms. Smith but I can’t, I’m too busy and I’m not looking to date anyone,” I said to her watching her face to see her reaction.

She looked a bit upset but she fixed her face with a small smile.

“I understand, see you later, I guess,” she said in a low voice and walked away.

I sighed and got in the car. I started the car and drove off into the city again. I looked up at the mirror every few minutes to check on Gabby. She was just looking out the window and making some boring noises.

“How was school,” I asked her trying to keep her from being bored till we get home.

“It was fun, we learned…how to count to five,” she said.

“That sounds cool,” I said.

I looked at her through the window. She looked so much like her mother but she has my eyes. I would do anything for her.

“Daddy, can we have ice cream,” she asked with excitement.

I looked at my watch for a moment, I had a small meeting with someone about my business in two hours and Cole is coming in three hours from Chicago to stay for a few days. So I had time to get Ice cream for her and get the apartment ready.

“Of course Princess,” I said and turned around the corner.

I unstrapped Gabby and held her in my arms then walked to the door of Dairy Queen. I walked in, walking up to the front desk.

“Hi how can I help you,” the cashier asked me.

“Yes, one small chocolate Ice cream cone Please,” I said.

The guy nodded and typed it in.

“Is that all,” Th.e cashier asked.

I nodded.

The cashier clicked something

“It will be done in a few minutes,” the cashier said.

I went and sat down at a table with gabby on my lap. There were a few people in the Dairy queen having Ice cream and a few looked at me and then looked back at the people with them whispering. They obviously knew who I was, since I was the owner of my Tech company and is the best in the State.

“Why are Dhose people looking at us again,” Gabby asked noticing it.

Gabby was too young to understand why they were. She always asks this when we are out in the stores and just out in public.

“They just recognize me from my job,” I said

A worker called out my name. I walked up to the counter and grabbed the ice cream. I gave it to Gabby and she started to eat it. Once she was done eating it, I went back to the car. I strapped her in the car seat and drove off to my Luxury apartment.

#Stories #writers on tumblr #my own story

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